West Indies opener Johnson Charles equaled the record for the fastest T20I hundred for his team as he scored 118 runs off just 46 balls against South Africa in the second match of the three-match T20I series. The match is underway at Centurion on the 26th of March, 2023.
Charles’ blazing innings included 10 fours and 11 sixes as he took the South African bowlers to the cleaners. The right-handed batsman reached his hundred off just 39 balls, equalling the record held by Chris Gayle, who achieved the feat against England in Mumbai in 2016.
Fastest T20I hundreds by balls faced
Charles’ innings also saw him join an elite list of batsmen who have scored a hundred in T20Is off the fewest number of balls. He now shares the record for the second-fastest T20I hundred ever, along with David Miller and Rohit Sharma. The list is headed by Aaron Finch, who scored a hundred off just 35 balls against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2018.
Other notable fast hundreds
Apart from the aforementioned players, there are a few other players who have scored T20I hundreds in less than 40 balls. These include Sri Lanka’s S Wickramasekara and Romania’s S Periyalwar, who both scored a hundred off 35 balls, and Hungary’s Zeeshan Kukikhel, who scored a hundred off 39 balls.
Fastest T20I hundreds (by ball faced)
35 – DA Miller, SA vs BAN, Potchefstroom, 2017
35 – RG Sharma, IND vs SL, Indore, 2017
35 – S Wickramasekara, Czech Republic v Turkey, Ilfov County, 2019
39 – Johnson Charles, WI vs SA, Centurion, today
39 – S Periyalwar, Romania v Turkey, Ilfov County, 2019
39 – Zeeshan Kukikhel, Hungary v Austria, Lower Austria, 2022
Previous fastest for WI: 47 – Chris Gayle vs England, Mumbai, 2016
Conclusion
Johnson Charles’ blistering innings has put West Indies in the driver’s seat in the T20I series against South Africa. With the series already in their pocket, West Indies will look to continue their winning momentum in the final match of the series. The 36-year-old Charles will also hope to continue his good form and add more runs to his name in the upcoming matches.
