Fastest 100 in Test cricket: England wicket-keeper batter Jonny Bairstow was all over the Kiwi pace attack with the bat at the Trent Bridge.
Advertisement
During ‘Day 5’ of the ongoing 2nd Test match between England and New Zealand at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham, England wicket-keeper batter Jonny Biarstow has left the jam-packed crowd slacked-jawed with a 77-ball Century.
En route the target of 299 with around two-and-a-half sessions still left in the final day, the match seemed right in the balance with England losing four wickets at the score of 139, and another 160 runs required at the stroke of the Tea Break.
With their minds made up to go for the win regardless of the target even before the start of the day’s play today, skipper Ben Stokes and Bairstow went hammer and tongs right from the get go, and smashed 43 runs in the first 3 Overs right away.
There was no stopping whatsoever for the duo as they stitched together a century stand for the fifth wicket, with the equation down to mere 80 runs required in around 30 Overs still left in the match (at the time of writing).
Fastest 100 in Test cricket
Interestingly, while Bairstow’s 77-ball ton is nowhere at the top in the list of fastest centuries in Test match Cricket, it is England’s newly appointed head coach Brendon McCullum, who currently is the holder of this particular record, with a 54-ball century against Australia at Christchurch, in the year 2016.
McCullum had, during the aforementioned match, smashed 145 runs in mere 79 deliveries during the first innings, as captain of the New Zealand side.
Fastest Test century for England full list (updated on December 1, 2022)
Jonny Bairstow unfortunately fell just one delivery short of becoming the fastest England centurion in Test match Cricket history.
The record for the fastest Test century by an English batter is held by former England batter Gilbert Jessop, who smashed a 76-ball century against Australia, way back in the year 1902.
76 balls – Gilbert Jessop vs AUS in 1902
77 balls – Jonny Bairstow vs NZ in 2022
80 balls – Harry Brook vs PAK in 2022
85 balls – Ben Stokes vs NZ in 2015
86 balls – Ian Botham vs AUS in 1981
86 balls – Ian Botham vs AUS in 1981
86 balls – Zac Crawley vs PAK in 2022
