The ICC ODI World Cup has witnessed batters light up the stage with their incredible centuries. Many batters have smashed centuries, but a few have scored hundreds in fewer balls.
Batters like Glenn Maxwell, Aiden Markram, Kevin O’Brien, and AB de Villiers have shown their batting prowess and hit the fastest centuries in the 50-over tournament.
In this article, let’s take a look at the batters who have smashed the fastest centuries in ODI World Cup history.
Fastest Centuries in ODI World Cup
| Player | Balls Taken for 100 | Final Score | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glenn Maxwell (AUS) | 40 | 106 | Netherlands | Delhi | 25 Oct 2023 |
| Aiden Markram (SA) | 49 | 106 | Sri Lanka | Delhi | 07 Oct 2023 |
| Kevin O’Brien (IRE) | 50 | 113 | England | Bengaluru | 02 Mar 2011 |
| Glenn Maxwell (AUS) | 51 | 102 | Sri Lanka | Sydney | 08 Mar 2015 |
| AB de Villiers (SA) | 52 | 162 | West Indies | Sydney | 27 Feb 2015 |
| Eoin Morgan (ENG) | 57 | 162 | Afghanistan | Manchester | 18 Jun 2019 |
| Travis Head (AUS) | 59 | 109 | New Zealand | Dharamsala | 28 Oct 2023 |
| Heinrich Klaasen (SA) | 61 | 109 | England | Wankhede | 21 Oct 2023 |
| KL Rahul (IND) | 62 | 102 | Netherlands | Bengaluru | 12 Nov 2023 |
| Rohit Sharma (IND) | 63 | 131 | Afghanistan | Delhi | 11 Oct 2023 |
| Fakhar Zaman (PAK) | 63 | 126* | New Zealand | Bengaluru | 04 Nov 2023 |
| Kusal Mendis (SL) | 65 | 122 | Pakistan | Hyderabad | 10 Oct 2023 |
| Matthew Hayden (AUS) | 66 | 101 | South Africa | Basseterre | 24 Mar 2007 |
| John Davison (CAN) | 67 | 111 | West Indies | Centurion | 23 Feb 2003 |
| Shreyas Iyer (IND) | 67 | 105 | New Zealand | Wankhede | 15 Nov 2023 |
| Paul Stirling (IRE) | 70 | 101 | Netherlands | Kolkata | 18 Mar 2011 |
| Kumar Sangakkara (SL) | 70 | 117 | England | Wellington | 01 Mar 2015 |
Key Insights from the above table
40: Australia’s middle-order batter, Glenn Maxwell, went berserk against the Netherlands in Delhi and smashed the fastest century in the ODI World Cup. Maxwell reached his hundred in just 40 balls, and his knock of 106 off 44 balls came at a staggering strike rate of 240.90. Moreover, this innings also features in the list of fastest centuries in the 50-over format.
2: Maxwell has also notched up 2 hundreds in less than 60 balls, and he is the only batter to achieve this feat. His other ton came in 51 balls against Sri Lanka in Sydney.
5: The 2023 ODI World Cup has witnessed the most number of fastest centuries (5), with 3 of them coming at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Apart from Maxwell’s ton, South Africa’s Aiden Markram (49 balls) and India’s captain Rohit Sharma (63 balls) hammered the fastest hundreds in Delhi.
