Few records in cricket capture the imagination like the fastest odi centuries. There is something primal about watching a batter dismantle an international bowling attack in the time it takes to brew a cup of tea — every ball disappearing, fielders turned into spectators, and the scoreboard spinning like a slot machine. The benchmark for the fastest odi centuries was set more than a decade ago by AB de Villiers, whose scarcely believable 31-ball hundred against the West Indies in Johannesburg in 2015 remains untouched as of 2026. But the chasing pack is illustrious: a 16-year-old Shahid Afridi announcing himself to the world, Corey Anderson’s New Year fireworks, Glenn Maxwell’s World Cup mayhem, and even a UAE batter crashing the all-time list. Here is the definitive, fully updated ranking of the ten fastest ODI centuries of all time — with the stories, stats and context behind each one.
How the Fastest ODI Century Is Measured
A quick note on methodology before the countdown. The “fastest century” is counted by the fewest balls faced to reach 100 runs in a completed ODI innings, as recorded by official scorers — Test and T20I innings do not count. Only men’s ODIs are covered in this list. Where two centuries took the same number of balls, the earlier innings is ranked higher. All ten entries below are verified against official records; for the raw numbers, ESPNcricinfo’s records section is the gold standard, and the ICC’s official site maintains the honours lists.
The 10 Fastest ODI Centuries of All Time
1. AB de Villiers — 31 balls vs West Indies, Johannesburg, 2015
The apex. On January 18, 2015, at the Wanderers, AB de Villiers produced the most destructive ODI innings ever played: 149 not out off just 44 balls, with 16 sixes and 9 fours. He reached his fifty in 16 balls — itself a world record at the time — and needed only 15 more deliveries to raise his hundred. South Africa posted 439 and won effortlessly, but the numbers barely convey the genius: de Villiers was hitting good balls to all parts, inventing shots that did not exist, and the West Indies attack simply had no answers. More than a decade later, the fastest of all fastest odi centuries still stands untouched — the defining benchmark of modern power-hitting.
2. Corey Anderson — 36 balls vs West Indies, Queenstown, 2014
New Zealand’s Corey Anderson held the world record for just over a year. On New Year’s Day 2014 in Queenstown, he smashed an unbeaten 131 off 36 balls against the West Indies — 14 sixes and 6 fours — in a rain-affected match, dragging New Zealand to a mammoth total and a 159-run win. It was a stunning statement from a 23-year-old all-rounder, and it took the genius of de Villiers twelve months later to better it.
3. Shahid Afridi — 37 balls vs Sri Lanka, Nairobi, 1996
The most romantic entry on this list. A 16-year-old Shahid Afridi, playing essentially his first ODI innings (he had debuted a game earlier without batting), walked out in Nairobi with a borrowed bat and smashed 102 off 37 balls against Sri Lanka — 11 sixes and 6 fours. Pakistan won by 82 runs, and a legend was born overnight. Afridi’s record stood for 17 years, the longest reign in the category’s history, surviving the entire T20 revolution before Anderson finally broke it in 2014.
4. Glenn Maxwell — 40 balls vs Netherlands, Delhi, 2023
The fastest ODI century ever scored at a World Cup. During the 2023 World Cup in Delhi, Glenn Maxwell tore into the Netherlands attack, reaching his hundred in 40 balls on the way to 106 off 44 (8 sixes, 9 fours). Australia piled up 399 and won by 309 runs. Maxwell — who later in the same tournament played the immortal 201* against Afghanistan — owns the art of the late-overs assault like no other contemporary batter.
5. Asif Khan — 41 balls vs Nepal, Kirtipur, 2023
The Associate nations’ flag-bearer in the fastest odi centuries list. UAE’s Asif Khan reached his hundred in 41 balls against Nepal in Kirtipur in March 2023, finishing unbeaten on 101 off 42. It is the fastest ODI century by a player from an Associate nation and proof that the power game has gone truly global — the record books are no longer the exclusive property of the Full Members.
6. Mark Boucher — 44 balls vs Zimbabwe, Potchefstroom, 2006
Better remembered as a wicketkeeper, Mark Boucher produced a stunning aberration in 2006: 147 not out off 44 balls against Zimbabwe in Potchefstroom. It remains one of the great “wait, who?” entries in ODI history — a keeper-batter better known for his gloves dismantling an attack in barely seven overs of batting.
7. Brian Lara — 45 balls vs Bangladesh, Dhaka, 1999
The Prince of Trinidad’s entry: 146 off 45 balls against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 1999. Lara’s innings was a masterclass in placement and timing rather than brute force — a reminder that the fastest odi centuries are not always about muscle; sometimes they are about a genius finding gaps that fielders did not know existed.
8. Eoin Morgan — 45 balls vs Pakistan, Dubai, 2009
Long before he reinvented England’s white-ball cricket as captain, Eoin Morgan announced his hitting credentials with a 45-ball century against Pakistan in Dubai in 2009. It was an early glimpse of the fearless, innovative batting that would define his era — reverse sweeps, audacious placement, and complete disregard for reputation.
9. Gary Kirsten — 45 balls vs UAE, Rawalpindi, 1996
South Africa’s composed opener Gary Kirsten is the most unlikely name on this list — a grafter rather than a dasher. But in Rawalpindi in 1996 against the UAE, Kirsten reached his hundred in 45 balls, proving that even classical technicians could explode when the situation demanded. It remains a delightful anomaly in the record books.
10. Luke Ronchi — 46 balls vs Sri Lanka, Dunedin, 2014
New Zealand’s wicketkeeper-batter Luke Ronchi rounds out the top ten, reaching his century in 46 balls against Sri Lanka in Dunedin in 2014. Ronchi’s innings was pure carnage in the final overs — exactly the kind of finishing assault that modern ODI cricket is built on.
The Evolution of the Record
The history of the fastest odi centuries tells the story of ODI batting itself. Before Afridi’s 37-ball explosion in 1996, Sanath Jayasuriya’s 48-ball hundred against Pakistan (also 1996) had briefly held the mark — that was the year the record dropped from the 40s to the 30s and never looked back. Afridi then owned the record for 17 years, an extraordinary reign spanning the pre-T20 and early-T20 eras. Corey Anderson’s 36-ball hundred in 2014 finally broke it, only for de Villiers to lower it to 31 balls thirteen months later. Since 2015, nobody has come within nine balls of the record — the closest challengers being Maxwell’s 40 and Asif Khan’s 41. The 31-ball barrier has now survived more than a decade, raising the question: is it unbreakable?
What Makes a Century This Fast?
Analysing the ten fastest odi centuries reveals clear patterns. First, almost all of them came in the final 15 overs of an innings, when fielding restrictions, tired bowlers and scoreboard pressure create perfect hitting conditions. Second, six-hitting is non-negotiable: de Villiers hit 16 sixes, Anderson 14, Afridi 11 — you simply cannot reach 100 in 30-odd balls without clearing the ropes repeatedly. Third, strike rotation barely matters; these innings are built on boundaries, with dot balls kept to an absolute minimum. Finally, there is an X-factor of fearlessness — every batter on this list committed fully to attack from ball one, with no safety-first phase. If you want to spot the next record-breaker in your fantasy team, our fantasy cricket tips and tricks explain how to identify explosive middle-order hitters before they go big.
Who Could Break the 31-Ball Record?
No active player has publicly targeted the record, but the candidates are obvious. Travis Head has the power game and the fearlessness, regularly producing 30-ball fifties at the top of the order. Heinrich Klaasen is arguably the cleanest striker of spin in world cricket and has multiple 40-ball ODI hundreds in him. Abhishek Sharma is redefining what is possible at the top of the order in white-ball cricket. And Glenn Maxwell himself, on the right day against the right attack, remains the most likely man alive to do it — he has already been there at 40 balls. Keep an eye on the ongoing India vs Australia ODI series 2026, where several of these power-hitters could be in action. The smart money says the record falls in a T20-influenced ODI where a set batter faces the final ten overs with wickets in hand. Interestingly, the recent trend of 350-plus team totals — once a rarity, now almost routine in bilateral series — means batters are spending more balls in the “launch zone” than ever before, increasing the statistical chances of a record attempt. If the 31-ball mark does fall, expect it to happen against a tiring attack in the last ten overs of a high-scoring game, with the batter already past fifty and the field spread. For deeper statistical context on how batting speeds are evolving, see this all-format fastest-centuries compilation and SportsMonkie’s ODI records FAQ.
Fastest ODI Centuries: FAQs
1. Who holds the record for the fastest century in ODI cricket? AB de Villiers of South Africa — 100 runs off 31 balls against the West Indies at the Wanderers, Johannesburg, on January 18, 2015. It remains the record as of 2026.
2. How many runs did AB de Villiers score in that record innings? He finished unbeaten on 149 off 44 balls, with 16 sixes and 9 fours. He also set the fastest ODI fifty (16 balls) during the same innings.
3. Who had the fastest ODI century before AB de Villiers? New Zealand’s Corey Anderson, whose 36-ball century against the West Indies in Queenstown on January 1, 2014, held the record for just over a year.
4. What is the fastest ODI century at a Cricket World Cup? Glenn Maxwell’s 40-ball hundred for Australia against the Netherlands in Delhi during the 2023 World Cup — the fourth-fastest ODI century of all time.
5. What is the fastest ODI century by an Associate nation player? Asif Khan of the UAE, who reached his hundred in 41 balls against Nepal in Kirtipur in March 2023 — fifth on the all-time list.
6. How long did Shahid Afridi’s record stand? Seventeen years — from his 37-ball century against Sri Lanka in Nairobi in October 1996 until Corey Anderson broke it in January 2014. It is the longest reign in the category’s history.
7. Has any Indian batter made the top 10 fastest ODI centuries? No — as of 2026, no Indian features in the all-time top ten for the fastest ODI hundreds, though India’s white-ball hitters are among the leading candidates to break in.
8. Will the 31-ball record ever be broken? It has survived more than a decade, but the direction of white-ball batting suggests it is a matter of when, not if. Players like Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen and Glenn Maxwell have the game to challenge it on the right day.
Key Takeaways
- AB de Villiers’ 31-ball century (149* off 44, vs West Indies, Johannesburg, 2015) is the fastest ODI hundred ever — unbroken for 10+ years.
- The top five: de Villiers (31), Corey Anderson (36), Shahid Afridi (37), Glenn Maxwell (40), Asif Khan of UAE (41).
- Afridi’s 37-ball ton at age 16 in 1996 held the record for 17 years, the longest reign ever.
- Maxwell’s 40-ball hundred is the fastest century in World Cup history.
- Asif Khan’s 41-ball hundred proves Associate nations now compete in the power game.
- Six-hitting is the common denominator: the top three innings featured 16, 14 and 11 sixes respectively.
- Leading candidates to break the record: Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Abhishek Sharma and Glenn Maxwell.
Conclusion
The fastest odi centuries are cricket’s greatest fireworks displays — innings that compress an entire match’s drama into a few overs of mayhem. From a 16-year-old with a borrowed bat in Nairobi to AB de Villiers reinventing what is physically possible in Johannesburg, each entry on this list marks a moment when a batter briefly bent the sport to his will. De Villiers’ 31-ball masterpiece has now stood for over a decade, but with batting evolving at breakneck speed, the only certainty is that someone, somewhere, is already practising the shots that will one day take it down. Until then, the top ten above remains the definitive leaderboard of ODI destruction.