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Number crunching: McCullum belts fastest ever Test century

February 21, 2016 11:18 IST

brendon mccullum

IMAGE: Brendon McCullum of New Zealand breaks the world record for fastest test century during day one of the Test match against Australia at Hagley Oval on February 20, 2016 in Christchurch. Photohraph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images.

Brendon McCullum – playing his last Test match- produced a sensational display of stroke-play, blasting to the fastest hundred in Test cricket history.

McCullum took 54 balls to reach the three-figure mark, two less than the previous record. Viv Richards and Misbah-ul-Haq held the previous record with 56-ball hundreds.

In terms of time taken, McCullum’s hundred in 78 minutes is the joint fourth fastest in Test cricket.

Statistician Rajneesh Gupta glances at the records of the fastest hundreds in Test cricket:

Fastest Test hundreds in terms of balls

Balls

Batsman (Score)

Teams

Venue

Season

54

Brendon McCullum (145)

NZ v Aus

Christchurch

2015-16

56

Viv Richards (110*)

WI v Eng

St John's

1985-86

56

Misbah-ul-Haq (101*)

Pak v Aus

Abu Dhabi

2014-15

57

Adam Gilchrist (102*)

Aus v Eng

Perth

2006-07

67

Jack Gregory (119)

Aus v SA

Johannesburg

1921-22

69

S Chanderpaul (100)

WI v Aus

Georgetown

2002-03

69

David Warner (180)

Aus v Ind

Perth

2011-12

70

Chris Gayle (102)

WI v Aus

Perth

2009-10

71

Roy Fredericks (169)

WI v Aus

Perth

1975-76

74

Majid Khan (112)

Pak v NZ

Karachi

1976-77

74

Kapil Dev (163)

Ind v SL

Kanpur

1986-87

74

Mohammad Azharuddin (109)

Ind v SA

Kolkata

1996-97

74

Brendon McCullum (195)

NZ v SL

Christchurch

2014-15

75

AB de Villiers (129)

SA v Ind

Centurion

2010-11

brendon mccullum

Image: Brendon McCullum of New Zealand celebrates. Photographs: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Fastest Test hundreds in terms of minutes

Minutes

Batsman

Teams

Venue

Season

70

Jack Gregory (119)

Aus v SA

Johannesburg

1921-22

74

Misbah-ul-Haq (101*)

Pak v Aus

Abu Dhabi

2014-15

75

Gilbert Jassop (104)

Eng v Aus

The Oval

1902

78

Richie Benaud (121)

Aus v WI

Kingston

1954-55

78

Brendon McCullum (145)

NZ v Aus

Christchurch

2015-16

80

Jimmy Sinclair (104)

SA v Aus

Cape Town

1902-03

81

Viv Richards (110*)

WI v Eng

St John's

1985-86

86

Bruce Taylor (124)

NZ v WI

Auckland

1968-69

91

Joe Darling (160)

Aus v Eng

Sydney

1897-98

91

Stan McCabe (189*)

Aus v SA

Johannesburg

1935-36

Comparison of three fastest Test hundreds (in terms of balls)

Pattern of scoring:

 

Brendon McCullum

Viv Richards

Misbah-ul-Haq

Balls for hundred

54

56

56

Scoring shots

29

41

34

Dots

25

15

22

1s

6

18

12

2s

3

9

4

3s

0

1

2

4s

16

7

11

6s

4

6

5

brendon mccullum  

Runs scored in each progressive band of 10 balls:

Balls

Brendon McCullum

Viv Richards

Misbah-ul-Haq

1-10

26

24

28

11-20

11

12

21

21-30

2

9

16

31-40

27

22

10

41-50

16

27

15

50-56+

18

9

10

+it’s 50-54 for McCullum

mccullum

Balls taken for first and second fifty:

 

Brendon McCullum

Viv Richards

Misbah-ul-Haq

First 50 runs

34

35

21

Next 50 runs

20

21

35

-RAJNEESH GUPTA

Rajneesh Gupta