The longest and oldest format of the game has lost its zest after the advent of shorter versions like the T20s. But there will always be a couple of matches every year which gifts the real taste of traditional cricket and also, saves test cricket from being abandoned. Well, it’s not about the classic matched, but also about classic performances. A couple of decades ago, batsmen were accustomed with Test match batting style. Patience, resilience, and longevity were given importance unlike today, where batsmen have the motto of scoring as many runs quickly as possible before getting dismissed. And then there were these experimentalists, who did the unconventional to make Test cricket great. Today we take a peek into the fastest test century in the classic form of the game.
List of top 5 fastest test century
| S.N | Player | Team | Against | Balls |
| 1 | Jack Gregory | Australia | South Africa | 67 balls |
| 2 | Adam Gilchrist | Australia | England | 57 balls |
| 3 | Misbah-Ul-Haq | Pakistan | Australia | 56 balls |
| 4 | Vivian Richards | West Indies | England | 56 balls |
| 5 | Brendon McCullum | New Zealand | Australia | 54 balls |
5Jack Gregory in 67 balls against South Africa
The record of the fastest test century was written under the name of Jack Gregory for almost 64 years. The flamboyant Australian batsman scored the miraculous knock of the 67 ball 100 against South Africa in the 1921/22 season. The batting style was the first of its kind, starting right away with boundaries and strokes all around the ground. Though this record has been claimed by a few others in the coming years, in terms of minutes played, Gregory is unbeaten. It only took 70 minutes for him to score the century.
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4Adam Gilchrist in 57 balls against England
It was the Ashes and Test cricket has never been more exciting than it. The third test of the 2006/07 Ashes series was held in Perth. After a mediocre batting performance by both sides, Australia decided to shift gears in the second innings. Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke scored a century each and Matthew Hayden was dismissed at 92. Australia was already in a safe spot with 365 runs with the loss of five wickets when Gilchrist walked in. He started attacking straight away and cut the chances of England winning the match. With 12 fours and 4 sixes, Gilchrist reached the milestone of the second fastest test century at that time in just 57 balls and Australia cruised with a total of 527/5 which was too good for the English to chase.
3Fastest 100 in test: Misbah-Ul-Haq in 56 balls against Australia
Not the kind of person you would expect in this list. Misbah-Ul-Haq had his reasons to score the then joint-fastest test century. In the 2014/15 Australian tour of the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan was already leading the 2-match series 1-0, and they almost secured the series by the first innings of the match. Younis Khan scored a double hundred, Azhar Ali and Misbah scored a century each to set a solid first innings score of 570. Australia got all out at 261 but Pakistan had to rush to avoid the draw and win the match in the second innings. Azhar Ali and Misbah once again scored a century each but the highlight of the game was Misbah’s 56 ball hundred which consisted of 11 fours and five sixes. It sealed the game for Pakistan and gave enough time for the bowlers to wipe out the Australian batting.
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2Fastest test century: Vivian Richards in 56 balls against England
To break a 64-year-old record of the fastest test century, it has to be someone of the caliber of Sir Vivian Richards. At St. John’s in the 1985/86 campaign, the fiery Caribbeans were aiming for a whitewash against England winning all the previous four matches of the series. They had control of the game right from the start and it was a comfortable win for the West Indies. But the match was remembered for the extraordinary innings played by Sir Vivian Richards in their second innings. 7 sixes and 7 fours made up his fastest 100 in test in just 56 balls and overtook Jack Gregory’s long-standing record.
1Fastest hundred in test: Brendon McCullum in 54 balls against Australia
The fastest test century ever scored till date was by the New Zealand rockstar, Brendon McCullum. The opening batsman was one of the pioneers of T20 cricket in the test series against Australia in 2016 at Christchurch, he decided to experiment his explosive skills in the longest format of the game. Batting first, NZ was struggling at 74-4 when Brendon McCullum entered the pitch. The guy simply did not play according to the situation of a test match but it helped the team nevertheless. McCullum thrashed every Australian bowler and went to claim the record of the fastest test centurion in just 54 balls spending a total of 78 minutes in the middle.
He extended his individual score to 145 and helped NZ get past the 350 mark. Although his efforts went in vain and Australia won the match as well as the series, Brendon McCullum once again showed the world what he stands for.
