David Miller entertained fans with a blistering century in the Champions Trophy semi-final in Lahore on Wednesday, but his effort wasn't enough to prevent South Africa from crashing out against New Zealand.
Miller waged a lone battle, smashing a century from 67 balls -- reaching the milestone off the final delivery of the match as South Africa fell 50 runs short while chasing a record 363 run target.
In the process, Miller broke Virender Sehwag's two-decade-old record for the fastest century in Champions Trophy history.
Sehwag held the previous record with a 77-ball hundred against England in Colombo during the 2002 edition.
Earlier in the tournament, Australian Josh Inglis had equalled Sehwag's record when he smashed a 77-ball century against England in Lahore in the group stage.
Fastest centuries in the Champions Trophy:
| Balls | Batter | Vs | Venue | Edition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | David Miller | New Zealand | Lahore | 2025 |
| 77 | Virender Sehwag | England | Colombo | 2002 |
| 77 | Josh Inglis | England | Lahore | 2025 |
| 80 | Shikhar Dhawan | South Africa | Cardiff | 2013 |
| 87 | Tillakaratne Dilshan | South Africa | Centurion | 2009 |
Miller has a fine record in ICC ODI semi-finals, with two centuries and a fifty.
He had hit 56 not out from 51 balls in the Champions Trophy semi-final against England in 2013 before blazing 49 from 18 balls against New Zealand in the semis of the 2015 World Cup.
In the semis of the 2023 World Cup, he had smashed 110 against Australia in Kolkata.
Centuries from Kane Williamson (102) and Rachin Ravindra (108) powered New Zealand to a mammoth 362/6 in their 50 overs -- the highest total in the history of the Champions Trophy.
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