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How De Villiers rewrote cricketing history

Last updated on: January 19, 2015 13:17 IST

When South Africa's AB de Villiers scored the quickest century on Sunday, he broke more than just an ODI record. Here is how the South African has rewritten cricketing history.

AB de Villiers of South Africa hits a six during the 2nd Momentum ODI between South Africa and West Indies at Bidvest Wanderers Stadium on Sunday

AB de Villiers of South Africa hits a six during the 2nd Momentum ODI between South Africa and West Indies at Bidvest Wanderers Stadium on Sunday. Photograph: Duif du Toit/Gallo Images/Getty Images

South Africa’s AB de Villiers rewrote cricket record books, on Sunday, when he smashed the fastest hundred in One-Day International history, taking only 31 balls to reach the three figure mark.

De Villiers bettered the previous record held by New Zealand’s Corey Anderson, who had scored his hundred off 36 balls last year also against West Indies.

It took AB de Villiers only 16 balls to race to his fifty. In fact his second fifty (off 15 balls) was faster than his first fifty, but record books always take in to account only the first fifty and not any subsequent fifty scored later in the innings. Hence, AB de Villiers will be credited with only 16-ball fifty. Still, it is also a new world record.

Sanath Jayasuriya had taken 17 balls for his fifty against Pakistan at Singapore in 1996.

Here is a ball by ball account of AB de Villiers' innings:

Over

Sequence

End of Over Score

Remarks

39th

         4 2 1

7* (3)

came in to bat after 38.3 overs

40th

1    4 6 4 6

28* (8)

 

41st

6 0 0 2 2 L

38* (13)

 

42nd

1    6 6 6 4

61* (18)

fifty off 16 balls - a world record

43rd

   6 1    4 1

73* (22)

 

44th

1          0 4N 4

82* (26)

 

45th

            0 6

88* (28)

 

46th

      4 6 6 6

110* (32)

hundred off 31 balls - a world record

47th

      L       6

116* (34)

 

48th

        1

117* (35)

 

49th

6 6 4 6 6 2

147* (41)

 

50th

   2 0 X

149 (44)

dismissed off 49.4 over

L=Leg-bye, N= No-ball, X= Out

Fastest centuries in One-Day Internationals

Balls

Player

For

Vs

Venue

Year

31

AB de Villiers (149)

South Africa

West Indies

Johannesburg

2015

36

Corey Anderson (131*)

New Zealand

West Indies

Queenstown

2004

37

Shahid Afridi (102)

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Nairobi

1996

44

Mark Boucher (147*)

South Africa

Zimbabwe

Potchefstroom

2006

45

Brian Lara (117)

West Indies

Bangladesh

Dhaka

1999

45

Shahid Afridi (102)

Pakistan

India

Kanpur

2005

46

Jesse Ryder (104)

New Zealand

West Indies

Queenstown

2014

48

Sanath Jayasuriya (134)

Sri Lanka

Pakistan

Singapore

1996

50

Kevin O'Brien (113)

Ireland

England

Bangalore

2011

52

Virat Kohli (100*)

India

Australia

Jaipur

2013

53

Shahid Afridi (124)

Pakistan

Bangladesh

Dambulla

2010

Progression to fastest ODI hundred (This is how the record of fastest ODI hundred has changed hands over the years, starting with New Zealand’s Ken Wadsworth, who was the first batsman to score a hundred off less than 100 balls).

Balls

Batsman

For

Vs

Venue

Year

94

Ken Wadsworth (104)

New Zealand

Australia

Christchurch

1974

88

Majid Khan (109)

Pakistan

England

Nottingham

1974

82

Clive Lloyd (102)

West Indies

Australia

Lord's

1975

80

Greg Chappell (138*)

Australia

New Zealand

Sydney

1980

76

Zaheer Abbas (123)

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Lahore

1982

72

Zaheer Abbas (118)

Pakistan

India

Multan

1982

72

Viv Richards (149)+

West Indies

India

Jamshedpur

1983

62

M Azharuddin (108*)

India

New Zealand

Baroda

1988

48

Sanath Jayasuriya (134)

Sri Lanka

Pakistan

Singapore

1996

37

Shahid Afridi (102)

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Nairobi Gym

1996

36

Corey Anderson (131*)

New Zealand

West Indies

Queenstown

2014

31

AB de Villiers (149)

South Africa

West Indies

Johannesburg

2015

+ The record was only equalled, not broken

Not just One-Day Internationals, AB de Villiers' 31-ball hundred is now the fastest in all limited-over matches or List A matches as they are better known as (more than 23,000 List A matches have been played so far). Take a look:

Fastest centuries in List A cricket

Balls

Player

For

Vs

Venue

Year

31

AB de Villiers (149)

South Africa

West Indies

Johannesburg

2015

36

Graham Rose (110)

Somerset

Devon

Torquay

1990

36

Corey Anderson (131*)

New Zealand

West Indies

Queenstown

2014

37

Shahid Afridi (102)

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Nairobi

1996

40

Yusuf Pathan (108*)

Baroda

Maharashtra

Ahmedabad

2010

43

Ryan Watson (103*)

Scotland

Somerset

Edinburgh

2003

44

Mark Ealham (112)

Kent

Derbyshire

Maidstone

1995

44

Mark Boucher (147*)

South Africa

Zimbabwe

Potchefstroom

2006

44

Tom Smith (106)

Lancashire

Worcestershire

Worcester

2012

45

Brian Lara (117)

West Indies

Bangladesh

Dhaka

1999

45

Shahid Afridi (102)

Pakistan

India

Kanpur

2005

45

Imran Nazir (189)

ZTBL

SGCP

Islamabad

2013

In fact there has been only one better performance in all competitive cricket across all recognised formats (First-class cricket, List A matches, T20 cricket). Playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors India, Chris Gayle scored his hundred off just 30 balls in 2013, which is the only innings faster than AB de Villiers.

Fastest hundreds in all recognised cricket

Balls

Player

For

Vs

Venue

Year

Format

30

Chris Gayle (175*)

RCB

Pune Warriors

Bangalore

2013

T20

31

AB de Villiers (149)

South Africa

West Indies

Johannesburg

2015

ODI

34

David Hookes (107)

South Australia

Victoria

Adelaide

1982

FC

34

Andrew Symonds (112)

Kent

Middlesex

Maidstone

2004

T20

35

L van der Westhuizen (145)

Namibia

Kenya

Windhoek

2011

T20

36

Graham Rose (110)

Somerset

Devon

Torquay

1990

List A

36

Corey Anderson (131*)

New Zealand

West Indies

Queenstown

2014

ODI

Note: There have been some faster hundreds than those listed above, but they came in contrived circumstances with bowling sides feeding the batsmen longhops, full-tosses trying to facilitate a declaration from the batting sides. Such performances are not treated as ‘genuine’ records.

Rajneesh Gupta