Test cricket is without a doubt the hardest format of cricket. It is because it takes a lot from the player in both batting and bowling. But the hardest thing in red-ball cricket is to survive in the tough conditions and against the world-class bowlers. That too, when all the fielders are up and near the bat, and as a batter you just need to survive and survive for a long time.
But when the pressure comes on the batter, some prefer to counterattack. Then, we saw a true battle in the hardest format of the game. Well, there are a few batters who played some brilliant cameos and went on to score some quick centuries in Test cricket.
List of Fastest Century in Test cricket
| Balls | Player | Match Details | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54 | Brendon McCullum | New Zealand v Australia | Christchurch | 2015/16 |
| 56 | VIv Richards | West Indies v England | St John’s | 1985/86 |
| 56 | Misbah-ul-Haq | Pakistan v Australia | Abu Dhabi | 2014/15 |
| 57 | Adam Gilchrist | Australia v England | Perth | 2006/07 |
| 67 | Jack Gregory | Australia v South Africa | Johannesburg | 1921/22 |
| 69 | Shivnarine Chanderpaul | West Indies v Australia | Georgetown | 2002/03 |
| 69 | David Warner | Australia v India | Perth | 2011/12 |
| 70 | Chris Gayle | West Indies v Australia | Perth | 2009/10 |
| 71 | Roy Fredericks | West Indies v Australia | Perth | 1975/76 |
| 71 | Colin de Grandhomme | New Zealand v West Indies | Wellington | 2017/18 |
So in this article, we will cover the fastest century in red-ball cricket.
3. Misbah-ul-Haq (56 balls) vs Australia in 2014
The third-fastest century came in 2015, when Australia toured Pakistan for a two-match test series. It was the second match in Abu Dhabi. Batting first, Pakistan batted really well and declared their first innings at 570/6 in 164 overs. Azhar Ali (109) and skipper Misbah-ul-Haq (101) made centuries, while Younis Khan (213) scored a brilliant double century. In reply, Australia had a horrible batting display and the whole team got out for just 261 runs.
Pakistan got a first innings lead of 209 runs. And in order to add some quick runs to the lead, Pakistan batted aggressively. Azhar Ali remained unbeaten on 100 runs, but skipper Misbah took the opportunity to add quick runs and went on to score the third fastest century in the history of Test cricket. He scored a hundred off just 56 balls and made 101* off 57 balls with 11 fours and 5 sixes. Pakistan declared at 293/3 and gave Australia a target of 603 runs. But the Aussies couldn’t do much and were all out for 246 runs, losing by 356 runs.
2. Viv Richards (56 balls) vs England in 1985
Viv Richards, arguably, was the most aggressive batsman of his era in the 1980s and early 1990s. He holds the record for the joint-second fastest test century off 56 balls. It came against England in the fifth game of the series in 1986 at St. John’s. In the first innings, the West Indies scored 475 runs with the help of Desmond Haynes (131). In response, England also batted well and reached 310 runs.
West Indies got a lead of 165 runs in the first innings. Thus, they scored quickly in their second innings. West Indies declared at 245/2 in just 43 overs to give England a target of 411 runs. Skipper took the responsibility into his own hands and scored a 56-ball century and made 110* off 58 balls, with seven fours and seven sixes. It was the fastest century in those days. England got all out for 170 runs in their second innings and lost the match by 240 runs.
1. Brendon McCullum (54 balls) vs Australia in 2015
The fastest century in test cricket is registered under the name of one of the most dangerous batters and former New Zealand skipper, Brendon McCullum. It came against Australia in 2015 at Christchurch. New Zealand scored 370 runs in their first innings, which saw a 54-ball century from skipper McCullum, who ended up on 145 off 79 balls with 21 fours and 6 sixes.
But in response, Australia made 505 runs in 153.1 overs with the help of Joe Burns (170) and skipper Steve Smith (138). They had a lead of 135 runs. New Zealand also batted decently in their second innings but got out on 335 runs to give Australia a target of 201 runs. Australia chased down the target pretty comfortably and made 201/3 in 54 overs and won the match by 7 wickets.