A top-order batter’s role in ODI in cricket is all about making a sizable contribution to the team’s total and making it either daunting for the opposition to achieve the target or making the team go over the line in the time of a chase. When we say runs, a cricket viewer’s mind is programmed to take a look at the number of centuries scored by a team, and this parameter is one of the important metrics to judge a player’s true calibre.
It is because scoring a century is an art, and we don’t see all the players who bat bring up their ton quite often. A batter needs discipline and calmness, apart from technique and skill, to get to the 3-figure mark. That is why a century for a batsman is special, irrespective of the format, condition, or opposition.
A batsman consistently scoring a century is a blessing for the team, as it more often makes the side go over the line. So here in this piece, we will discuss the batters who notched up their first 10 ODI tons in the least number of innings.
Fastest to 10 ODI Centuries
| Player | Team | Innings to 10 Centuries |
|---|---|---|
| Quinton de Kock | South Africa | 55 |
| Hashim Amla | South Africa | 57 |
| Fakhar Zaman | Pakistan | 67 |
| Babar Azam | Pakistan | 68 |
| Shai Hope | West Indies | 74 |
| Jonny Bairstow | England | 76 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | India | 77 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 80 |
| Aaron Finch | Australia | 83 |
| Joe Root | England | 84 |
Key insights from the above stats
62: Number of batters in ODI cricket to have scored 10 or more centuries. Of this, Pakistan’s Inzamam ul Haq has taken the most innings to achieve the milestone (291 innings).
14: There are 14 players in all who have taken 100 innings or less to register their 10 ODI centuries. Apart from the batters on the list, the others to have done so are David Warner (85), Calum MacLeod (86), Jason Roy (96), and Gardon Greenidge (99).
2: The number of batters from South Africa, India, Pakistan, and England to feature in this elite list. Australia is represented by Aaron Finch, while Shai Hope from the West Indies is the other player on the list.
55: The recently retired Quinton de Kock holds the record for taking the fewest innings to score 10 ODI centuries. He did so in 55 knocks for South Africa, and in all, de Kock has registered 21 ODI tons, including 4 in the ICC World Cup 2023.
50: Virat Kohli’s tally of hundreds in the 50-over cricket, and he is the first player to achieve the landmark in the format. Kohli did so in his 279th innings, and interestingly, it took him 80 innings to score his 10th ODI ton back in 2012.
1: Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman, who took 67 innings to score 10 ODI centuries, is the only player on this list to have scored an ODI double ton.
