The record of the fastest century in T20 World Cup history is held by West Indies player Chris Gayle, who slammed an unbeaten century against Bangladesh in just 48 deliveries during the 2007 T20 World Cup.
Getting a century in any form of cricket is always considered as a landmark achievement for batsmen. However, getting to the three-figure mark in T20 cricket is considered an extremely impressive feat given that batters generally do not get to face a lot of balls. A general T20 match, without extras, consists of 120 balls, and therefore, getting to a century in this format is extremely difficult.
While that is the pertinent case, there are also players who can smash tons for fun and at a very brisk pace. Given that the T20 World Cup is considered to be the biggest competition in the format and every player wants to lead his side to World Cup glory, batters who have scored centuries in T20 World Cup have a commendable record to boast about.
And then there are some who do it more quickly than others. In this piece, we will discuss the player who has scored the fastest century in T20 World Cup history and how many balls he took to get there:
Fastest century in T20 World Cup: Top 5 list of players
| Rank | Player | Team | Balls Taken | Total Runs Scored | Against | 4s | 6s | Year |
| 1 | Chris Gayle | West Indies | 47 | 100* | England | 5 | 11 | 2016 |
| 2 | Chris Gayle | West Indies | 50 | 117 | South Africa | 7 | 10 | 2007 |
| 3 | Brendon McCullum | New Zealand | 51 | 123 | Bangladesh | 11 | 7 | 2012 |
| 4 | Ahmed Shehzad | Pakistan | 58 | 111* | Bangladesh | 10 | 5 | 2014 |
| 5 | Suresh Raina | India | 59 | 101 | South Africa | 9 | 5 | 2010 |
Chris Gayle, West Indies | 47 balls against England
The Universe Boss Chris Gayle topping this list is hardly surprising given that he is arguably the best batsman that T20 cricket has ever seen. Chris Gayle has been the face of the shortest format of the game because of his brute ability and power-hitting and he is the only batsman who holds the record of scoring two centuries in T20 World Cup history, both of which are the fastest centuries in the World Cup.
The fastest one was actually his second century in the T20 World Cup. It arrived against England during the 2016 edition of the tournament held in India. In the match hosted in Mumbai, West Indies were chasing a target of 183 set by England and they lost opener Johnson Charles in the very first over of the contest.
However, Chris Gayle got into his stride and the game turned rapidly. The southpaw took only 47 deliveries to get to his century and he remained not out on 100 while his innings included five boundaries and 11 maximums.
Chris Gayle, West Indies | 50 balls against South Africa
The first of Chris Gayle’s two World Cup centuries actually arrived during the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup held in South Africa in 2007. The T20 World Cup was still a nascent idea at that stage but the Universe Boss set the tournament alight with his dazzling ton against hosts South Africa. It was actually the first and only century to be hit during the very first edition of the T20 World Cup.
Batting first, the Caribbean nation posted a huge score and it goes without saying that Chris Gayle played a major role in it. The left-hander brought up his century in just 50 deliveries and went on to smash 117 off 57 balls with the help of seven boundaries and ten maximums.
Despite his outstanding efforts, West Indies went on to lose the match as Herschelle Gibbs led the South Africa run-chase with his terrific knock of 90*. However, Gayle ended up being the player of the match because of his record-breaking efforts.
Brendon McCullum, New Zealand | 51 balls against Bangladesh
One of the greatest cricketers in New Zealand cricket history as well as a T20I beast, former Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum holds the record for scoring the third-fastest century in T20 World Cup when his hundred arrived off just 51 deliveries against Bangladesh during the 2012 World Cup.
Batting first, McCullum led the batting unit of New Zealand and pressed his foot on the gas early on. He went on to hammer a 51-ball century and finished the night with a knock of 124 runs from just 58 deliveries with the help of 11 fours and seven sixes. It is still the highest score in the history of the competition so far and thanks to his innings, New Zealand posted a total of 191/3. They went on to win the match by a gigantic margin of 59 runs.
Ahmed Shehzad, Pakistan | 58 balls against Bangladesh
Having made his international debut for Pakistan as far back as 2009, Ahmed Shehzad was recognised as one of the cleanest strikers of the ball. Till this date, he is the only player from Pakistan to score a century in the T20 World Cup.
Shehzad achieved this feat in just 58 deliveries against Bangladesh during the 2014 T20 World Cup which was eventually won by Sri Lanka. Opening the batting, he put on a masterclass and slammed 111 runs which included 10 fours and five sixes. Pakistan went on to win the match by a comfortable margin of 50 runs.
The Pakistan batsman so far has played 81 one-day internationals and 59 T20 matches. He has 2605 runs to his name in the 50-over format, boasting an average of 32.6.
Suresh Raina, India | 59 balls against South Africa
Suresh Raina is one of the best T20 batsmen produced by India and he was an absolute beast during the T20 World Cup tournaments as well. The middle-order specialist rounds off the list in fifth place with a 59-ball century against South Africa which arrived in the 2010 T20 World Cup.
It was the southpaw’s maiden T20 World Cup century and he went on to score 101 runs with the help of nine fours and five sixes and at a strike rate of 168.33. His ton helped the Men in Blue win the match by 14 runs.
Raina has a brilliant record in the Indian Premier League. In 193 games, Raina has scored 5368 runs at an average of 33.3. He has 38 half-centuries and one century to his name in the richest T20 franchise tournament.
FAQs
Who has scored the fastest half-century in T20 World Cup?
Indian superstar Yuvraj Singh holds the record for scoring the fastest half-century in T20 World Cup. He took only 12 balls to get to his 50 against England in a match where he stole the show with six sixes in an over off Stuart Broad during the 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa.
Who holds the record for the most runs in T20 World Cup history?
With 1016 runs in 31 matches, Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene holds the record for scoring the most runs in the history of the T20 World Cup.
Who has scored the fastest century in T20 International cricket?
David Miller and Rohit Sharma jointly hold the record of scoring the fastest century in T20 Internationals. Both took 35 deliveries to get to the three-digit mark and both tons were scored in 2017. Miller got his century against Bangladesh while Rohit scored against Sri Lanka.
How many played scored a century in T20 World Cup 2021?
Only England’s Jos Buttler got a century in T20 World Cup 2021 when he scored 101* (67) against Sri Lanka in UAE.
