For a batter, scoring a century is a surreal feeling. And if a batter hits a century on a special day like their birthday, then that will be the icing on the cake (literally!).
Few players have been lucky enough to play on their birthday and make it even more special with this momentous milestone. So, in this article, let’s take a look at the players who have hit centuries on their birthdays in international cricket.
Players to Score Century on Birthdays in International Cricket
| Format | Players | Score | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | Patsy Hendren (ENG) | 205* | West Indies | Port of Spain | 5 Feb 1930 |
| Reg Simpson (ENG) | 156* | Australia | Melbourne | 27 Feb 1951 | |
| Peter Richardson (ENG) | 126 | West Indies | Nottingham | 4 Jul 1957 | |
| Graeme Pollock (SA) | 105 | Australia | Gqeberha | 27 Feb 1967 | |
| Lee Irvine (SA) | 102 | Australia | Gqeberha | 9 Mar 1970 | |
| Chris Lewis (ENG) | 117 | India | Chennai | 14 Feb 1993 | |
| Andrew Hudson (SA) | 102 | Australia | Cape Town | 17 Mar 1994 | |
| Alec Stewart (ENG) | 118 | West Indies | Bridgetown | 8 Apr 1994 | |
| Jason Gillespie (AUS) | 201* | Bangladesh | Chattogram | 19 Apr 2006 | |
| Ramnaresh Sarwan (WI) | 116 | India | Basseterre | 23 Jun 2006 | |
| Kusal Mendis (SL) | 196 | Bangladesh | Chattogram | 2 Feb 2018 | |
| ODI | Vinod Kambli (IND) | 100* | England | Jaipur | 18 Jan 1993 |
| Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 134 | Australia | Sharjah | 24 Apr 1998 | |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) | 130 | Bangladesh | Karachi | 30 Jun 2008 | |
| Ross Taylor (NZ) | 131* | Pakistan | Pallekele | 8 Mar 2011 | |
| Tom Latham (NZ) | 140* | Netherlands | Hamilton | 2 Apr 2022 | |
| Mitchell Marsh (AUS) | 121 | Pakistan | Bengaluru | 20 Oct 2023 | |
| Virat Kohli (IND) | 101* | South Africa | Eden Gardens | 5 Nov 2023 | |
| T20I | David Warner (AUS) | 100* | Sri Lanka | Adelaide | 27 Oct 2019 |
Key Insights
205: England’s Patsy Hendren scored his only double century on his birthday against the West Indies, making him the first batter to reach triple digits on his birthday in Test cricket. Hendren’s unbeaten 205 helped England defeat the Windies by 167 runs despite conceding a lead in the first innings.
201: This is the highest individual score by a nightwatchman in Test cricket, and Jason Gillespie holds this unique record. Coincidentally, he etched this score on his birthday against Bangladesh. Gillespie came out to bat just before the end of the 2nd day, batted throughout the 3rd day, and notched up the double century on the 4th day.
21: The age of Vinod Kambli when he scored an unbeaten 100 against Australia on 18 January 1993. With that, Kambli became the youngest Indian batter to score an ODI hundred.
1: Australia’s opener, David Warner, became the first batter to score a T20I century on his birthday. The Australian southpaw batter scored an unbeaten 100* against Sri Lanka.
3: So far, 3 batters — Ross Taylor, Mitchell Marsh, and Virat Kohli — have scored hundreds on their birthdays in the ODI World Cup. Taylor notched up his century in the 2011 World Cup, while Marsh and Kohli hit their tons in the 2023 edition.
49: When Virat scored his hundred on his special day, he equalled the record of 49 ODI centuries smashed by the God of Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar. Check out Kohli’s hundreds in ODIs here.
