Glenn Maxwell set a new world record as he entered his name on top of the list of fastest World Cup centuries on October 25, 2023. He broke Aiden Markram's record who had entered the list earlier in the World Cup, scoring a hundred in 49 balls. Maxwell took 40 deliveries for his feat.
So, how about we take a look at the list of the fastest World Cup centuries ever in the one-day format?
The clash between Australia and Netherlands in the Cricket World Cup 2023 was one for the history books, with several records tumbling down.
The match saw the fastest World Cup centuries being scored, with Maxwell taking only 13 balls to move from 50 to 100.
Highest World Cup score in history
Contents
- 1 Fastest World Cup centuries in ODI history
- 1.1 Glenn Maxwell – 40 balls (Australia vs Netherlands)
- 1.2 Aiden Markram – 49 balls (South Africa vs Sri Lanka)
- 1.3 Kevin O'Brien – 50 balls (Ireland vs England)
- 1.4 Glenn Maxwell – 51 balls (Australia vs Sri Lanka)
- 1.5 AB de Villiers – 52 balls (South Africa vs West Indies)
- 1.6 Eoin Morgan – 57 balls (England vs Afghanistan)
Fastest World Cup centuries in ODI history
| Player Record | Match | Venue | Year |
| Glenn Maxwell – 40 balls | Australia vs Netherlands | Delhi | 2023 |
| Aiden Markram – 49 balls | South Africa vs Sri Lanka | Delhi | 2023 |
| Kevin O’Brien – 50 balls | Ireland v England | Bengaluru | 2011 |
| Glenn Maxwell – 51 balls | Australia v Sri Lanka | Sydney | 2015 |
| AB de Villiers – 52 balls | South Africa v West Indies | Sydney | 2015 |
| Eoin Morgan – 57 balls | England v Afghanistan | Manchester | 2019 |
Let's get into details how each of these players set the world on fire with the fastest World Cup centuries.
Glenn Maxwell – 40 balls (Australia vs Netherlands)
Glenn Maxwell has smashed the record for the fastest @cricketworldcup hundred in some style 💥@mastercardindia Milestones 🏏#CWC23 #AUSvNED pic.twitter.com/ntxbFlynOE
— ICC (@ICC) October 25, 2023
Less than 20 days after Aiden Markram became the quickest centurion in the World Cup, Glenn Maxwell broke the record, taking nine balls fewer to the record. Against the Netherlands in Delhi, Maxwell faced his first ball only in the 41st over of the innings and what followed was carnage.
Maxwell reached his first ODI fifty in 16 innings off 27 balls and raced away to 100 in the next 13 deliveries to script history. He scored his fifty in the 47th over of the innings and made his hundred two overs later.
His innings helped Australia post a formidable 399-8 on the board.
Aiden Markram – 49 balls (South Africa vs Sri Lanka)
Aiden Markram came into the 2023 World Cup with poor form but delivered in their opening game at Delhi. The pitch for this game was unlike any seen before at Delhi and the Proteas batters cashed in on it.
Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen hit centuries to build a great launchpad for the middle order.
Markram did not disappoint and timed the ball to perfection from the get-go. His knock was a combination of power and touch, with some breathtaking display of shotmaking. Markram obliterated the Lankan bowling unit, completing his century in 49 balls.
Markram finished on 106 off 54 balls, with 14 fours and three sixes in the innings as he powered South Africa to 428 for 5 in 50 overs, making the fastest World Cup centuries ever.
Kevin O'Brien – 50 balls (Ireland vs England)
Ireland's Kevin O'Brien held the record for the fastest of the World Cup centuries for 12 years. On 2 March 2011, the younger O'Brien brother didn't just create history for himself but for his country as well.
Kevin smashed a century off just 50 balls and helped Ireland stun England by three wickets at Bengaluru.
Ireland had a massive target of 328 and they had lost half the side for just 111 runs in 24.2 overs. What followed was something England and the world could not have imagined. Kevin O'Brien and Alex Cusack put on a 162-run stand as Kevin decimated the English bowling attack.
O'Brien completed his century off 50 balls and finished with 113 in 63 deliveries. He hit 13 fours and six maximums in his incredible fastest World Cup century as Ireland completed the highest run-chase in World Cup history.
Glenn Maxwell – 51 balls (Australia vs Sri Lanka)
The 2023 edition wasn't the first time Sri Lankan bowlers were at the receiving end of some carnage. In 2015, Australia's Glenn Maxwell demolished Sri Lanka at Sydney as the hosts put on 376 for 9 in their 50 overs.
Australia were 177/4 in 32.3 overs when Maxwell and Shane Watson came together. The pair added 160 runs in the next 13.4 overs, in which Maxwell's contribution was 102 off 53 deliveries.
The all-rounder struck four sixes and 10 fours in his brutal hitting display. Maxwell had completed the century off 51 balls, which was the second-fastest of the World Cup centuries at the time.
AB de Villiers – 52 balls (South Africa vs West Indies)
One of the greatest players in the game, AB de Villiers has numerous records to his name and would only be a surprise if he wasn't on this list of fastest World Cup centuries.
The South African genius holds the record for the fastest century off 31 balls in overall ODI cricket, having blasted 149 off 49 against West Indies.
At the 2015 World Cup, he touched the three-figure mark in 52 balls against none other than West Indies.
Batting first at Sydney, de Villiers walked in to bat in the 30th over after South Africa lost two wickets in three balls. De Villiers didn't take long to get going and reached fifty off 30 balls. He upped his gears and completed the hundred in 52 deliveries.
The mayhem didn't stop there as ABD went even harder at the back end, finishing with an unbeaten 162 off just 66 deliveries. His 150 came in 64 deliveries and it remains a record. De Villiers' incredible knock had 17 fours and eight sixes, with South Africa posting 408/5.
Eoin Morgan – 57 balls (England vs Afghanistan)
Eoin Morgan was the architect of England's white-ball revolution after 2015 and he delivered a performance to remember in their title-winning campaign in 2019.
Facing Afghanistan in Manchester, captain Morgan smashed 148 off just 71 deliveries as England posted 397 on the board, to join the list of fastest World Cup centuries.
Morgan destroyed the Afghanistan bowlers, especially Rashid Khan, against whom he hit 58 off 20 balls with seven maximus. Morgan belted 17 sixes in his innings in total, which remains a record for the most sixes in an ODI innings.
