In ODI cricket, the batters usually play steadily during the start of the innings and then change the gears in the last few overs. However, some batters bat with an attacking approach and went on to play a big knock in fewer balls.
There are also a few ODI matches where the batter scored a century in less number of balls and etched their name in the history books of cricket. Here are the top 10 cricketers to score the fastest hundred in the ODI format.
Fastest ODI Hundred
10. Jos Buttler – 46 balls
England batter Jos Buttler took 46 balls to reach the triple-figure mark in an ODI match against Pakistan in Dubai on November 20, 2015. After Jason Roy’s 102-run and Joe Root’s 71 runs, Buttler took charge and went on to score an unbeaten 116 runs off just 52 balls, scoring the fastest ODI hundred for England as they posted 355/5 and went on to win the match by 84 runs.
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9. Jesse Ryder – 46 balls
Jesse Ryder joined a run fest for New Zealand along with Corey Anderson in a match against West Indies in Queenstown on January 1, 2014. In a 21-over match, New Zealand posted a mammoth total of 283/4, with Ryder scoring 104(51) runs and Anderson remaining unbeaten on 131(47). Ryder completed his hundred in just 46 balls.
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8. Shahid Afridi – 45 balls
Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi played a blistering knock of 102 runs off just 46 balls in an ODI match against India in Kanpur on April 15, 2005. Chasing a target of 250 runs, Afridi opened the innings and took the match away from India by completing his hundred in just 45 deliveries, as Pakistan won by 5 wickets in 42.1 overs.
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7. Brian Lara – 45 balls
West Indies great Brian Lara turned on his beast mode in an ODI match against Bangladesh in Dhaka on October 9, 1999. The top-order batter smashed 117 runs in just 52 balls, completing his century in just 45 balls. His knock helped West Indies to register a 109-run victory against Bangladesh.
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6. Mark Boucher – 44 balls
Former South African cricketer Mark Boucher took 44 balls to reach his hundred in an ODI against Zimbabwe in Potchefstroom on September 20, 2006. After consecutive half-centuries from the top three batters, Boucher took the charge by scoring an unbeaten 147*(68) runs as the Proteas posted a mammoth 418/4 and registered a big win by 171 runs.
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5. Asif Khan – 41 balls
UAE’s Asif Khan scored the fastest ODI hundred among associate nations in a match against Nepal in Kirtipur on March 16, 2023. Coming to bat at lower order, Asif completed his hundred in just 41 balls, scoring 101*(42) runs as UAE won the match by nine runs, as per the DLS method.
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4. Glenn Maxwell – 40 balls
Australia’s Glenn Maxwell scored the fastest hundred in the history of the ODI World Cup. The middle-order batter took just 40 balls to reach his hundred and went on to smash 106 runs off just 44 balls in a match against the Netherlands in Delhi during the 2023 ODI World Cup on October 25th. His knock helped Australia to defeat the Netherlands by a huge margin of 309 runs.
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3. Shahid Afridi – 37 balls
Shahid Afridi made his appearance on the list again for his 37-ball hundred in a match against Sri Lanka in Nairobi on October 04, 1996. The right-hander smashed 102 runs off just 40 balls as Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by 82 runs.
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2. Corey Anderson
New Zealand’s Corey Anderson scored the second-fastest fastest-ODI hundred in a match against West Indies in Queenstown on January 1, 2014. The batter took just 36 balls to complete his hundred in a knock of 131*(47) runs as New Zealand defeated West Indies by 159 runs.
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1. Ab de Villiers – 31 balls
The former South African batter scored the fastest-ever hundred in ODI cricket in a match against West Indies in Johannesburg on January 18, 2015. After a mammoth 247-run opening stand by Hashim Amla and Rilee Rossouw, De Villiers also joined the party and went to smash the bowlers all over the park. The right-hander took just 31 balls to complete his hundred in his 149–run knock in just 44 balls. South Africa posted a mammoth 439/2 and went on to win the match by 148 runs.
