ODI Records : Top 4 Fastest Centuries in Cricket History

The ODI (One Day International) centuries are often hailed as one of the most prestigious and decorated achievements for international cricketers as unlike tests, the ODI format puts forward an extremely challenging time constraint and allows only a total of fifty overs per side. Therefore, in order to score a century in the ODI format, the batsman needs to be fully equipped with the ability to rotate the strike and build innings calculatively instead of being aggressive on the pitch and playing high-risk shots. Over the decades, numerous prominent cricketers have registered their ODI tons but only a few out of them have been able to achieve the feat at a blistering speed.

In this article we will take a look at the top four international cricketers who have smashed the fastest ODI centuries in their cricketing careers.

ODI Records : Top 4 Fastest Centuries in Cricket History

S.No	Player	Country	Match	Year	Balls	Runs
1	AB de Villiers	South Africa	South Africa vs West Indies	2015	44	149
2	Corey Anderson	New Zealand	New Zealand vs West Indies	2014	47	131
3	Shahid Afridi	Pakistan	Pakistan vs Sri Lanka	1996	40	102
4	Glenn Maxwell	Australia	Australia vs Netherlands	2023	44	106

• AB de Villiers, South Africa – 149 Runs Off 44 Balls

Often hailed as one of the greatest batsmen of his generation, South African former international cricketer, AB de Villiers, is at the first spot in our list of the top four international cricketers who have smashed the fastest centuries in the ODI format. In the second match of the 2015 South Africa vs West Indies series at the iconic Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa.

The legendary South African cricketer, AB de Villiers, came in to bat in the 39th over at the third number while the South African cricket team was hovering at a total of 247 at the loss of one wicket. Surprisingly, AB de Villiers took no time to settle on the pitch and dominated the West Indies bowling attack right from the first delivery with his iconic reverse sweeps, lofted cover drives, paddle scoops and straight roaring sixes.

AB de Villiers scored a fearless century in just 31 deliveries and registered the fastest-ever ODI ton. AB de Villiers’ dominant knock of 149 runs off 44 deliveries left the fans and the opponent team entirely stunned.

• Corey Anderson, New Zealand – 131 Runs Off 47 Balls

At the second spot in our list of the top four international cricketers who have smashed the fastest ODI centuries in their cricketing careers, we have the ground-breaking innings by Corey Anderson in the third ODI of the 2014 New Zealand vs West Indies series at the Queenstown Events Centre, Queenstown. The match was reduced to 21 overs per side due to heavy rain and the New Zealand squad chose to bat first.

Corey Anderson walked in at no.5 and delivered one of the most brutal innings of his entire ODI career against the West Indies. Corey Anderson scored a century in just 36 deliveries, making it the second-fastest ODI century ever scored by an international cricketer as of April 2025. Overall, New Zealand’s flag bearer Corey Anderson faced a total of 47 balls and smashed a phenomenal total of 131 runs against the West Indies.

• Shahid Afridi, Pakistan – 102 Runs Off 40 Balls

Pakistani former international cricketer, Shahid Afridi is at the third spot in our list of the top four batsmen who have smashed the fastest centuries in the ODI format and left the fans in shock. Although Shahid Afridi was initially drafted as a leg-spinner in the 1996 Pakistan vs. Sri Lanka ODI series, he ultimately ended up taking command of Pakistan’s batting lineup as he walked in to bat at number 3.

At the age of 16 years and 217 days, Shahid Afridi undoubtedly unleashed carnage and smashed his maiden ODI century off just 37 deliveries, annihilating Sri Lanka’s attacking bowlers, including Muttiah Muralitharan. Overall, Afridi faced a total of 40 deliveries and scored a record total of 102 runs, including eleven high-flying sixes and four secure boundaries.

After his spine-chilling knock against Sri Lanka, Shahid Afridi undeniably rose to fame overnight and garnered immense appreciation and praise from cricket aficionados from all over the world for his fearless and aggressive style of play throughout the match.

• Glenn Maxwell, Australia – 106 Runs Off 44 Balls

Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four international cricketers who have smashed the fastest ODI centuries in their cricketing careers, we have the legendary Australian professional international cricketer, Glenn Maxwell, who was part of the Australian squad that won the 2015 Cricket World Cup, the 2023 Cricket World Cup, and the 2021 T20 World Cup, where in the 2023 final, and scored the winning runs.

Often popularly referred to as “Mad Max”, Glenn Maxwell played a path-breaking and extremely fearless innings against the Netherlands during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 at the iconic Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, India. Although Maxwell was under excruciating pressure to perform in the match due to his prolonged poor form on the field, he used it like a sword of courage and annihilated Netherlands’ bowling attack after fearlessly smashing a dominating ton off just 38 deliveries.

Overall, Glenn Maxwell registered a dominating score of 106 runs off 44 deliveries against the Netherlands, which majorly contributed to Australia’s final score of 399/8.