Sri Lanka has produced some of the greatest batting stars in the game of cricket. Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, and Tillakaratne Dilshan are some of the big batting icons from this country. These batters have had multiple centuries in their international careers. But when it comes to the shorter format of the game, only three Sri Lankan batters have scored a hundred until now.
Dilshan and Jayawardene were the two Sri Lankans to score a T20I century for the country in last decade but recently Kusal Perera scored fastest hundred against New Zealand. There have been a few nineties as well, but only three hundreds. But who has scored the fastest among these two? In this article, we will talk about the fastest T20I hundred for Sri Lanka in 20-over cricket.
Sri Lanka Fastest Century in T20I
| Batter | Balls | Score | Against | Venue | Date |
| Kusal Perera | 46 | 101 | New Zealand | Nelson | January 2, 2025 |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan | 55 | 104* | Australia | Pallekele | August 06, 2011 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | 63 | 100 | Zimbabwe | Providence | May 03, 2010 |
3. Mahela Jayawardene (63 balls) vs Zimbabwe in 2010
The third fastest of the two centuries for Sri Lanka came from the bat of Jayawardene. He achieved this landmark during the 2010 T20 World Cup in the West Indies. It was the seventh game of the tournament in Group 8, which had Sri Lanka facing Zimbabwe in Providence. It started with Sri Lanka winning the toss and deciding to bat first.
Jayawardene came out to open the inning. Sri Lanka kept losing wickets from the other end, but Jayawardene stood firm. He went on to smaashed a 63-ball hundred for his country. It was also the first time that a Sri Lankan batted reached three-figure mark in the shorter format. Jayawardene made a 64-ball 100 runs, including four sixes, and 10 boundaries.
The second best was Thisara Perera, who scored a 19-ball 23. Sri Lanka finished the innings at 173/7 in the first inning. After the first inning got over, the rain stopped the game. It resulted in Zimbabwe getting the target of 44 runs in 5 overs. They managed only 29/1 in five overs, and Sri Lanka won the game. Jayawardene won the Man of the Match award for his century.
2. Tillakaratne Dilshan (55 balls) vs Australia in 2011
The second T20I hundred for Sri Lanka came in August 2011 against the Aussies. Australia toured Sri Lanka for two T20Is. It occurred in the first game in Pallekele, which was a night game. Australia won the toss and decided to bowl first. Sri Lanka lost Mahela Jayawardene (11) early. But skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan kept scoring runs on the other end.
He added a 52-run partnership for the third wicket with Kumar Sangakkara, who scored 30 off 22 balls. Then he added an unbeaten 104 runs for the fourth wicket with Jeevan Mendis, who played a cameo of 29 off 19. Dilshan carried his bat through the inning and smashed a 55-ball hundred. He remained unbeaten on 104 off 57 balls, with 12 fours and five sixes.
Dilshan also became the first and only captain for Sri Lanka to score a century in all three formats. Sri Lanka posted a big score of 198/3 in 20 overs. Chasing the target, Australia managed a total of 163/8 in the second inning. Apart from David Warner (53 off 31), none of the other Australian batter scored a significant score. Dilshan won Man of the Match for his hundred.