Who Scored A Century In Just 3 Overs?

Interestingly, the fastest century in just 3 overs was made in a test match and not ODI or T20 cricket

While there are many records for the fastest century in cricket, achieving the same in just three overs seems like an impossible task. However, this record is real and not some fantasy. If you want to know who scored a century in just 3 overs, let us check out the details.

Who scored a century in just 3 overs?

The record for scoring a century in just 3 overs goes to the cricketing legend – Don Bradman. This record was set in 1931 and remains unbroken till date. Even the high scoring T20 cricket has not been able to break this record. Don Bradman created the record of scoring a century or 100 runs in just 3 overs on November 2, 1931. This was during an exhibition club/second-class game between Blackheath XI and Lithgow (or Lithgow Pottery).

This match was held at Blackheath in the Blue Mountains, which is located around 100 km west of Sydney, Australia. One of the objectives of the match was to test a new malthoid (synthetic) pitch. Don Bradman was playing for Blackheath and when he scored the legendary century, he was accompanied by his NSW teammate Wendell Bill.

However, it is important to remember that this match was not a first-class or international match. It was like a first-class or international match, which still managed to draw a huge crowd. Another thing to note is that an over at that time used to be of 8 balls in Australia. So, 3 overs will be 24 balls. But even with 24 balls, the record remains relevant.

According to most sources, Don Bradman scored exactly 100 runs in the three overs. He faced 22 balls and took around 18 minutes to score the century. In the first over, he scored 33 runs, which includes multiple 6s and 4s. In the second over, Bradman scored 40 runs, which were mostly boundaries. In the third over, Bradman scored 27 runs. Two singles were scored by Wendell Bill in the third over, which were meant to give the strike back to Bradman.

In this famous century in 3 overs, Bradman hit 10 sixes. His total score in the full innings was 256. The match had drawn a huge crowd, even when it was not an international event. Bradman later shared his experience, saying that it all happened all of a sudden and there was no such plan to achieve the fastest century. This 3-over century highlights Bradman’s cricketing genius and superhuman ability.

Other fastest centuries in cricket history

While Don Bradman’s fastest century in 3 overs remains unbroken, there are various other fastest centuries made by other players. In Test Cricket, Brendon McCullum (NZ) has scored a century in 54 balls when playing against Australia in February 2016. Similarly, Viv Richards (WI) scored a century in 56 balls when playing against Pakistan.

In ODI cricket, AB de Villiers (SA) scored a century in just 31 balls in January 2015, when playing against West Indies. Corey Anderson (NZ) has scored a century in 36 balls when playing against West Indies in 2014.

In T20 cricket, the fastest century is from Sahil Chauhan (Estonia, Indian-origin) in just 27 balls. This was in June 2024, when playing against Cyprus. In IPL cricket, Chris Gayle has the record of making a century in 30 balls when playing against Pune Warriors in 2013.