As the format gets shorter, scoring runs quicker becomes a necessity. The limited number of balls in T20I cricket means batters have to make the most out of every delivery.
And we have seen them accumulate significant chunks of runs at staggering strike rates. However, on some occasions, the batters had to adopt a more balanced way to go about their business owing to the game situation.
Many batters have scored quick-fire hundreds in the shortest format. But a few have been the exact opposite, taking too many balls to reach the three-digit mark.
This article will look at the top 10 slowest centuries in T20I cricket.
You can also find here the same record in Test formats in our blogs.
Slowest Centuries in T20I Cricket
| Player | Balls Taken to 100 | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Stirling (Ireland) | 70 | Zimbabwe | Bready | 1 Sep 2021 |
| Martin Guptill (New Zealand) | 69 | South Africa | East London | 23 Dec 2012 |
| Vinoo Balakrishnan (Botswana) | 69 | St Helena | Rwanda | 25 Nov 2022 |
| Morne van Wyk (South Africa) | 67 | West Indies | Durban | 14 Jan 2015 |
| Jos Buttler (England) | 67 | Sri Lanka | Sharjah | 1 Nov 2021 |
| Sabawoon Davizi (Czech Republic) | 67 | Austria | Vinor | 9 Jul 2022 |
| Faheem Nazir (Switzerland) | 65 | Estonia | Kerava | 27 Jul 2022 |
| Aaron Johnson (Canada) | 64 | Oman | Al Amerat | 16 Nov 2022 |
| Rohit Sharma (India | 64 | Afghanistan | Bengaluru | 17 Jan 2024 |
| Mahela Jayawardene (SL) | 63 | Zimbabwe | Providence | 3 May 2010 |
(Note: Only those instances have been mentioned where ball-by-ball data is available.)
Key Insights
Paul Stirling holds the unwanted record for scoring the slowest century in T20Is by balls faced. The Irish opener took a staggering 70 balls to reach his hundred against Zimbabwe in 2021. And Stilring became the first batter to consume 70 or more balls to notch up a T20I hundred.
