As the format gets shorter, scoring runs quicker becomes a necessity. The limited number of balls in T20I cricket means batters have to make the most out of every delivery.
And we have seen them accumulate significant chunks of runs at staggering strike rates. However, on some occasions, the batters had to adopt a more balanced way to go about their business owing to the game situation.
Many batters have scored quick-fire hundreds in the shortest format. But a few have been the exact opposite, taking too many balls to reach the three-digit mark.
This article will look at the top 10 slowest centuries in T20I cricket.
You can also find here the same record in ODI and Test formats in our blogs.
Slowest Centuries in T20I Cricket
| Player | Team | Balls Taken to 100 | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Stirling | Ireland | 70 | Zimbabwe | Bready | 1 Sep 2021 |
| Martin Guptill | New Zealand | 69 | South Africa | East London | 23 Dec 2012 |
| Vinoo Balakrishnan | Botswana | 69 | St Helena | Rwanda | 25 Nov 2022 |
| Morne van Wyk | South Africa | 67 | West Indies | Durban | 14 Jan 2015 |
| Jos Buttler | England | 67 | Sri Lanka | Sharjah | 1 Nov 2021 |
| Sabawoon Davizi | Czech Republic | 67 | Austria | Vinor | 9 Jul 2022 |
| Faheem Nazir | Switzerland | 65 | Estonia | Kerava | 27 Jul 2022 |
| Aaron Johnson | Canada | 64 | Oman | Al Amerat | 16 Nov 2022 |
| Rohit Sharma | India | 64 | Afghanistan | Bengaluru | 17 Jan 2024 |
| Dharma Kesuma | Indonesia | 64 | Philippines | Bali | 10 Jul 2025 |
(Note: Only those instances have been mentioned where ball-by-ball data is available.)
Key Insights on the Slowest Centuries Scored in T20Is
Record for Slowest T20I Century by Balls Faced
Paul Stirling of Ireland holds the record for the slowest T20I century by balls faced, reaching his hundred off 70 balls against Zimbabwe in 2021.
Stirling became the first batter to consume 70 or more balls to notch up a T20I hundred.
Mahela Jayawardene was the first batter to touch the 100-run mark off 60 or more balls. The Sri Lankan batting legend brought up his ton in 63 balls against Zimbabwe in 2010.
Slowest Century in ICC T20 World Cup History
Jos Buttler’s 67-ball century against Sri Lanka in 2021 is the slowest in the history of the T20 World Cup. This is also the slowest T20I century by a wicketkeeper.
Captains and Multiple 60+ Ball T20I Hundreds
Switzerland’s Faheem Nazir has scored the slowest T20I century among captains, reaching the 100-run mark off 65 balls against Estonia in 2022.
Babar Azam and Rohit Sharma are the other two captains to bring up their hundreds in 60 or more balls in T20Is.
Rohit Sharma is the only batter to reach two or more centuries by taking up 60-plus deliveries. The Hitman attained his first T20I century off 62 balls versus South Africa. And he took 64 balls to bring up his fifth T20I hundred against Afghanistan. (Check out Rohit Sharma’s hundreds list here.)
There are more than 20 instances of batters reaching their centuries in 60 or more balls in T20Is.
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