Test cricket is not generally known for fast batting, but with time there have been many batsmen who have been known for their explosive batting in this format of cricket as well.
The record for the fastest century in Test cricket is held by former New Zealand captain and veteran batsman Brendon McCullum, who made this record in 54 balls in the last Test of his career against Australia.
Let us have a look at the top 10 batsmen who have scored the fastest century in Test cricket.
1 Brendon McCullum (New Zealand, 54 balls) vs Australia, Christchurch 2016
2 Sir Vivian Richards (West Indies, 56 balls) vs England, St John’s 1986
3 Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan, 56 balls) vs Australia, Abu Dhabi 2014
4 Adam Gilchrist (Australia, 57 balls) vs South Africa, Perth 2006
5 Jack Gregory (Aus, 67 balls) v South Africa, Johannesburg 1921
6 Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies, 69 balls) vs Australia, Georgetown 2003
7 David Warner (Australia, 69 balls) vs India, Perth 2012
8 Chris Gayle (West Indies, 70 balls) vs Australia, Perth 2009
9 Roy Fredericks (West Indies, 71 balls) vs Australia, Perth 1975
10 Colin de Grandhomme (New Zealand, 71 balls) vs West Indies, Wellington 2017
The record for the fastest Test century for India is jointly held by Kapil Dev (74 balls vs Sri Lanka, Kanpur 1986) and Mohammad Azharuddin (74 balls vs South Africa, Kolkata 1996).
The record for the fastest Test century from South Africa is in the name of AB de Villiers (75 balls vs India, Centurion 2010).
This record from England is in the name of Gilbert Jessup (76 balls vs Australia, Oval 1902).
From Sri Lanka, this record is in the name of Mahela Jayawardene (81 balls vs Bangladesh, SSC Colombo 2001).
The fastest Test centuries for Bangladesh were scored by Tamim Iqbal (94 balls vs England, Lord’s 2010) and Soumya Sarkar (94 balls vs New Zealand, Hamilton 2019).
From Zimbabwe, this record is recorded in the name of Shaun Williams (106 balls vs New Zealand, Bulawayo 2016).
This record is recorded in the name of Asghar Afghan (121 balls vs Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi 2021) from Afghanistan and Kevin O’Brien (186 balls vs Pakistan, Dublin 2018) from Ireland.
