Fastest Test Centuries for Each Team

Team	1	2	3	4	5
Afghanistan	Asghar Afghan – 121 vs ZIM	Afsar Zazai – 152 vs ZIM	Ismat Alam – 173 vs ZIM	Rahmat Shah – 186 vs BAN	Rahmat Shah – 198 vs ZIM
Australia	Adam Gilchrist – 57 vs ENG	Jack Gregory – 67 vs SA	David Warner – 69 vs IND	David Warner – 78 vs PAK	David Warner – 82 vs WI
Bangladesh	Tamim Iqbal – 94 vs ENG	Soumya Sarkar – 94 vs NZ	Mominul Haque – 96 vs SL	Mominul Haque – 98 vs NZ	Tamim Iqbal – 100 vs ENG
England	Gilbert Jessop – 76 vs AUS	Jonny Bairstow – 77 vs NZ	Harry Brook – 80 vs PAK	Ben Stokes – 85 vs NZ	Ian Botham – 86 vs AUS
India	Mohammad Azharuddin – 74 vs SA	Virender Sehwag – 78 vs WI	Shikhar Dhawan – 85 vs AUS	Kapil Dev – 86 vs ENG	Hardik Pandya – 86 vs SL
Ireland	Lorcan Tucker – 149 vs BAN	Paul Stirling – 172 vs SL	Kevin O’Brien – 186 vs PAK	Curtis Campher – 209 vs SL	–
New Zealand	Brendon McCullum – 54 vs AUS	Colin de Grandhomme – 71 vs WI	Brendon McCullum – 74 vs SL	Brendon McCullum – 78 vs PAK	Ross Taylor – 81 vs AUS
Pakistan	Misbah-ul-Haq – 56 vs AUS	Majid Khan – 74 vs NZ	Shahid Afridi – 78 vs WI	Shahid Afridi – 78 vs IND	Sarfraz Ahmed – 80 vs AUS
South Africa	AB de Villiers – 75 vs IND	Hashim Amla – 87 vs AUS	Denis Lindsay – 95 vs AUS	Jonty Rhodes – 95 vs WI	Shaun Pollock – 95 vs SL
Sri Lanka	Mahela Jayawardene – 81 vs BAN	Sanath Jayasuriya – 90 vs ZIM	Tillakaratne Dilshan – 93 vs BAN	Romesh Kaluwitharana – 98 vs NZ	Kithuruwan Vithanage – 99 vs BAN
West Indies	Viv Richards – 56 vs ENG	Shivnarine Chanderpaul – 69 vs AUS	Chris Gayle – 70 vs AUS	Roy Fredericks – 71 vs AUS	Brian Lara – 77 vs PAK
Zimbabwe	Brian Bennett – 97 vs ENG	Sean Williams – 106 vs NZ	Neil Johnson – 107 vs PAK	Sean Williams – 115 vs AFG	Brendan Taylor – 117 vs NZ

Note: Numbers in the table indicate the balls faced by the batter to reach the 100-run mark.

Key Insights

Brendon McCullum is the fastest Test centurion among all teams. The former New Zealand captain scored a quick 54-ball hundred against Australia in February 2016. McCullum’s ton is also the quickest for a captain in Tests.

McCullum bettered Viv Richards’ and Misbah-ul-Haq’s joint record of reaching the hundred off 56 balls, the fastest Test centuries for the West Indies and Pakistan, respectively. Richards attained the feat against England in 1986, while Misbah did so against Australia in 2014.

Richards was, in fact, the first batter to score a Test hundred in less than 60 balls. Adam Gilchrist is the other batter to bring up a ton in fewer than 60 balls. His hundred off 57 deliveries against England in 2006 is the fastest by an Australian batter and a wicketkeeper in Test cricket.

India’s Virender Sehwag reached the 100-run mark in 100 or fewer balls seven times, the most by a batter for a team in Tests. Three of those instances came against Sri Lanka, the most by a batter against a team.

Gilchrist is the only other batter with more than five instances of bringing up a Test hundred in fewer than 100 deliveries. All of his six instances came as a wicketkeeper, the most for a team.

Australia, India, England, the West Indies, and New Zealand have 15 or more instances of batters reaching their Test centuries in 100 or fewer balls.

Shikhar Dhawan has struck the quickest century on Test debut for a team. He achieved the feat in India’s jersey against Australia off 85 balls in 2018.

Tamim Iqbal is the only batter to reach the century mark in 100 or fewer balls against the same opposition in consecutive Tests. The two hundreds in question came against England on the 2010 tour, with the first being a 94-ball ton at Lord’s, followed by a century off 100 balls in Manchester. Iqbal’s 94-ball century is the fastest for Bangladesh.

Saurabh Chede

Saurabh is a cricket enthusiast who crafts content around the sport. Being from a cricket-crazy nation, he developed an unbreakable bond with the sport. When he's not watching cricket, you'll find him creating funny memes or watching old TMKOC episodes!