Fastest ODI Century 2026: New Record, Player, Balls & Top Fastest Centuries

There are very few records in world cricket as difficult and extravagant, as the fastest ODI century. To make 100 runs in one game of 50 overs, it takes a level of consistency, but to touch the three-figure mark is just taking down some licks with only a couple dozen deliveries.

Quickest century in ODI cricket: AB de Villiers (South Africa) 31 balls, West Indies, Johannesburg, January 18, 2015 He finally made 149 runs off just 44 balls with a strike rate of 338.64 including sixteen sixes and nine fours. His innings enabled South Africa to launch with a total score of 439/2.

It is a record that stood alone as the reference point for sheer batting mayhem in men’s ODI cricket, until more than ten years later, when de Villiers hit his 31-ball century. In third, Corey Anderson with a 36-ball century and 4th is Shahid Afridi with a 37-ball hundred.

Fastest ODI Century Record

AB de Villiers holds the men’s ODI record after producing one of the most destructive innings in the history of the format. Before de Villiers broke the record, New Zealand’s Corey Anderson had reached his century in 36 balls against the West Indies on January 1, 2014. Anderson’s record itself had ended Shahid Afridi’s long-standing mark of 37 balls, which had stood since 1996.

AB de Villiers: Fastest ODI Century

The fastest hundred ever was struck by AB de Villiers in the second ODI against West Indies at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg on January 18, 2015. By the time de Villiers walked to the crease, South Africa were in total command. Hashim Amla and Rilee Rossouw had both got hundreds and de Villiers walked out in the 39th over. An astonishing exhibition of attacking batting ensued.

He went on to get his fifty in just 16 balls and then hammer out a century from a mere 31 deliveries. De Villiers ended his innings with a 149 runs made off 44 balls which was finally stopped in the last over. He struck 9 fours and a whopping 16 sixes in his innings at a strike rate of 338.63.

Top 10 Fastest ODI Centuries

The list of the fastest ODI centuries includes some of the most destructive batters the format has produced. Several records have remained untouched for years despite the increasingly aggressive nature of modern ODI batting.

Fastest ODI Century by Balls

Looking at the record purely by deliveries gives a clear picture of how extraordinary these innings were.

31 Balls – AB de Villiers

When AB de Villiers scored 100 in 31 balls against West Indies at Johannesburg, 2015 This still is the fastest century in Men’s International Cricket ODIs.

36 Balls – Corey Anderson

Corey Anderson, 6th – Made his hundred in 36 balls Vs West Indies at Queenstown, January 1, 2014. He ended on 131 not out from 47 balls in a rain affected ODI

37 Balls – Shahid Afridi

One of the explosive innings that defined his career was a 37-ball century against Sri Lanka in Nairobi in 1996. For more than 17 years his record stood until Anderson broke it in 2014.

40 Balls – Glenn Maxwell

This time Glenn Maxwell mentioned his hundred in just 40 balls against the Netherlands meanwhile in Delhi during the 2023 Cricket World Cup. His fifty was in 27 balls and he took just another 13 deliveries to touch the three-figure mark.

41 Balls – Asif Khan

In 2023, UAE batter Asif Khan scored a century of 41 balls against Nepal in Kirtipur. His innings from the record books to become one of fastest century-makers in ODI cricket.

Also read this: Shubman Gill jersey number | Gautam Gambhir | Ravindra Jadeja 

Fastest ODI Century by Indian Player

For men’s ODI cricket, Virat Kohli’s 52-ball century against Australia in Jaipur in 2013 remains the fastest ODI century by an Indian batter.

Kohli scored the first of his two 100s from 52 balls while India chased down Australia’s score of 359/5 The right-handed batsman was aided by eight fours and as many as seven sixes on his way to India finishing off the chase over six overs.

Newer updates However, an important one. As captain Shubman Gill on September 30, 2026 scored 62 from just 62 balls against West Indies Guwahati became the fastest ODI century by an Indian. Gill went on to get 223 not out in just 133 balls and also got his name into the record books for fastest ODI double ton.

Fastest ODI Century by Country

Different cricket nations have produced their own record-breaking ODI centuries. Some national records are also part of the overall fastest ODI century list.

Jos Buttler’s 46-ball century against Pakistan in Dubai remains England’s fastest ODI hundred. He finished that innings unbeaten on 116 from 52 balls.

Sanath Jayasuriya’s 48-ball century against Pakistan was the fastest ODI hundred for Sri Lanka and was one of the early examples of an ODI batter reaching three figures in fewer than 50 balls.

For Zimbabwe, Sikandar Raza established the national record with a 54-ball century against the Netherlands in the 2023 World Cup Qualifier. He finished unbeaten on 102 and helped Zimbabwe chase 316.

Fastest ODI Century vs Fastest T20 Century

The shortest international format naturally creates more opportunities for aggressive batting, so the fastest T20I century has also been achieved in fewer balls than the ODI record.

Kushal Malla reached his T20I century in 34 balls against Mongolia in the 2023 Asian Games, breaking the previous 35-ball record shared by David Miller, Rohit Sharma and Sudesh Wickramasekara.

The difference is understandable. T20 cricket is built around attacking from the beginning, while ODI cricket requires batters to manage an innings over 50 overs. Even so, the fact that an ODI batter has reached a century in only 31 balls makes de Villiers’ achievement particularly remarkable.

Fastest ODI Century vs Fastest Test Century

The difference becomes even more striking when ODI batting is compared with Test cricket.

Brendon McCullum holds the men’s Test record after reaching his century from 54 balls against Australia at Christchurch in 2016. His innings contained 16 fours and four sixes, and he eventually scored 145 from 79 deliveries. That means the fastest ODI century was completed 23 balls quicker than the fastest men’s Test century.

How Rare Is a Sub-40-Ball ODI Century

A century in fewer than 40 balls requires a batter to maintain an extraordinary scoring rate while facing international-level bowlers. AB de Villiers’ 31-ball hundred is the clearest example. To score 100 from 31 deliveries, a batter needs an average of more than 3.2 runs per ball. That is an enormous scoring rate even in modern limited-overs cricket. Several factors make a sub-40-ball century extremely difficult:

• Boundary hitting: A large percentage of the runs must come from fours and sixes.
• Strike rate: There is virtually no room for defensive deliveries.
• Shot selection: One mistimed shot can end the innings.
• Bowling quality: International bowlers can change pace, use yorkers and attack weaknesses.
• Field placements: Batters need to find gaps or clear the boundary despite defensive fields.
• Match situation: The batter must balance aggression with the need to stay at the crease.

Fastest ODI Century Records and Milestones

The fastest ODI century is only one of several remarkable batting records in the format.

De Villiers‘ 16-ball fifty and 31-ball hundred came in the same extraordinary Johannesburg innings in 2015. He later added the fastest ODI 150 when he reached that landmark in 64 balls against West Indies in Sydney during the 2015 World Cup.

The fastest ODI double century record also changed recently. Shubman Gill reached 200 from 117 balls against West Indies in Guwahati on September 30, 2026, during his unbeaten 223.

Conclusion

The fastest ODI century is still one of the most iconic records in international cricket. On January 18, 2015, AB de Villiers hit a century in just 31 balls against West Indies at Johannesburg and created history.

His score of 149 from just the 44 balls, packed with an incredible 16 sixes and nine fours, underlined exactly how damaging a batting powerhouse can be in ODI cricket. Kohli’s blitz, which was just the third 200 in ODI history, made up ground on the centuries off 36 balls by Corey Anderson and Shahid Afridi and impetus driven innings today saw Glenn Maxwell, Asif Khan and various other contemporaries flatten ODI scoring boundaries.

Virat Kohli’s fastest ODI hundred by an Indian men’s batter (in 52 balls) for India, while Shubman Gill’s (62-ball century in 2026) was the new record for the fastest ODI century by an Indian captain. The landscape of one-day cricket is evolving towards greater aggression but self-destruction in trying to put pressure on opponents can rarely match the explosive batting that 31-ball ODI century by AB de Villiers still represents as the high-water mark.

FAQs

1.Who holds the record for the fastest ODI century?

AB de Villiers holds the men’s ODI record for the fastest century. He reached 100 from just 31 balls against West Indies in Johannesburg on January 18, 2015.

2.Who scored the fastest 100 in ODI cricket?

AB de Villiers scored the fastest 100 in ODI cricket, reaching the milestone in 31 balls. His final score was 149 from 44 balls, including 16 sixes and nine fours.

3.In how many balls did AB de Villiers score his ODI century?

AB de Villiers scored his ODI century in 31 balls against West Indies. He reached his fifty in 16 balls before completing the hundred 15 deliveries later.

4.Who has the second-fastest ODI century?

New Zealand’s Corey Anderson has the second-fastest men’s ODI century. He reached 100 in 36 balls against West Indies in Queenstown in 2014.

5.Who has the fastest ODI century for India?

Virat Kohli holds the record for the fastest ODI century by an Indian men’s batter, reaching 100 in 52 balls against Australia in Jaipur in 2013. Shubman Gill’s recent 62-ball century is the fastest by an Indian ODI captain.