Adam Markaram break the record of Kevin’o Brian for the fastest century in ODI World cup. He took only 49 games to smash hundred runs againsy Sri Lanka.
Every World Cup batsman strives to score a fifty or century in any World Cup match. Some of them achieved their goal easily, while others remained unable to reach their target. Whether a batter achieves the century milestone or not, one thing continues to be constant: the batter’s eagerness to try.
In the current era of cricket, it has become possible for every batter to score the fastest century. T20 cricket is worthy of all of the credit for helping modern batters to play quick shots all over the field.
Historically, the ODI World Cup has seen the least number of fastest centuries. In the past, batters were more inclined to play ODI cricket with a defensive style of play and mindset. Thanks to Kapil Dev’s 72-ball century in the 1983 World Cup, which set the standard for quick style of batting. We have recently seen a modern batting style in the form of AB De Villliers and Glenn Maxwell, who have scored the fastest centuries in World Cup history.
| # | Batsmen | Team | Opponent | Balls to score 100 | Worldcup | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin O’Brien | Ireland | England | 50 | 2011 | Bangalore |
| 2 | Glenn Maxwell | Australia | Sri Lanka | 51 | 2015 | Sydney |
| 3 | AB de Villiers | South Africa | West Indies | 52 | 2015 | Sydney |
| 4 | Eoin Morgan | England | Afghanistan | 57 | 2019 | Manchester |
| 5 | Mathew Hayden | Australia | South Africa | 66 | 2007 | Basseterre |
| 6 | Jim Davison | Canada | West Indies | 67 | 2003 | Centurion |
| 7 | Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | England | 70 | 2015 | Wellington |
| 8 | Paul Stirling | Ireland | Netherlands | 70 | 2011 | Kolkata |
| 9 | Kapil Dev | India | Zimbabwe | 72 | 1983 | Tunbridge Wells |
| 10 | Adam Gilchrist | Australia | Sri Lanka | 72 | 2007 | Bridgetown |
On average, WC 1976 to 1999 have seen centurions with who took an average 100 balls to score a century. This average has now dropped to 60 balls to score a century and is expected to fall further in the future.
Kevin O’Brien – 50 Balls
Kevin O’Brien played an outstanding cricket career for Ireland. Although he represented a low-ranked Irish cricket team, his records placed him among the top cricketers of his time. In World Cup 2011, he played an aggressive innings against England at Bengaluru. He scored 113 runs off 63 balls, including 13 fours and six sixes. Due to his aggressive playing style and Irish win, he was given the player of the match award.
Glenn Maxwell – 51 Balls
Glenn Maxwell is known for his aggressive reverse shots that he plays occasionally to boost the run rate of the Australian team. Overall, he is known for his aggressive batting style and off-spin bowling.
In World Cup 2015 Glenn Maxwell score fastest century for Australia in ODI Worldcup. He played one of the most memorable innings of his life on 51 balls against Sri Lanka at Sydney Cricket Ground. He hit 10 fours and 04 sixes with a strike rate of 192. In the end, Australia won the match by 64 runs. Glenn Maxwell was given the player of the match award for his outstanding innings.
AB De Villiers – 52 Balls
AB De Villiers is still remembered as 360 in cricket due to his cricket shots all around the ground. In World Cup 2015, AB played the fastest innings of his World Cup career against West Indies at Sydney. He played an innings of 162 runs on 62 balls with 17 fours and 08 sixes.
Due to his superb Knock, South Africa posted a big total of 408 runs in 50 overs. In reply, West Indies could not chase the target and lost the match.
Read More: Most Sixes in ODI World Cup
Eoin Morgan – 57 Balls
Eoin Morgan scored the fastest century of the World Cup 2019 against Afghanistan. He smashed hundred on 57 balls with 04 fours and 17 sixes (Highest Sixes in a single world cup match). He batted with a strike rate of more than 200 and smashed sixes all over the boundary.
At the end of the match, Eoin Morgan was announced as the player of the match. The Afghan team lost the match by a big margin of 150 runs.
Matthew Hayden – 66 Balls
In 2007 ODI World Cup Matthew Hayden was at the peak of his career and won the golden bat. He scored the fastest century of World Cup history against South Africa. Overall, he took 66 balls to score the fastest 100 for Australia. Later on, Maxwell broke the record in the 2015 WC against Sri Lanka.
