Brendon McCullum scores 100 off 74 balls against Sri Lanka; fastest ever hundred in Test Cricket for New Zealand
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has broken his own record for the fastest hundred hit in Test cricket by a New Zealand batsman, courtesy of his magnificent 195 against Sri Lanka on day one of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Hagley Oval, Christchurch.
McCullum’s hundred came off 74 balls, four fewer than the one he scored against Pakistan at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium last month. He had a great opportunity to also score the fastest double hundred in the history of Test Cricket, but was unfortunate to be dismissed five short of the landmark.
En route to his innings of 195, however, McCullum did break the record for the fastest 150 scored by a batsman in Test History, reaching the feat in just 103 deliveries.
McCullum has had an exceptional 2014 with the bat in Test Cricket, scoring a career-best 302 against India at Wellington and then scoring a 188-ball 202 against Pakistan at Sharjah. In the same India series where he scored 302, he had also hit a match-winning 224 at Eden Park in Auckland.
In regards to the match, Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews won the toss and elected to field. The Sri Lankan bowlers kept it tight in the morning session and even had the Kiwis in a spot of bother at 88 for 3. But things began to change as McCullum walked in and turned the match in the hosts’ favour, first sharing a 126-run stand with Kane Williamson and then putting on 153 for the fifth wicket with Jimmy Neesham.
New Zealand are 429 for 7 at stumps on day one.
Fastest hundreds in Test cricket for New Zealand
| # | Player | Balls Faced | Opponent | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brendon McCullum | 74 | Sri Lanka | Hagley Oval, Christchurch | 2014 |
| 2 | Brendon McCullum | 78 | Pakistan | Sharjah Cricket Satdium, Sharjah | 2014 |
| 3 | Ross Taylor | 81 | Australia | Seddon Park, Hamilton | 2009 |
| 4 | Daniel Vettori | 82 | Zimbabwe | Harare Sports Club, Harare | 2005 |
| 5 | Chris Cairns | 86 | Zimbabwe | Eden Park, Auckland | 1995 |
| 6 | Richard Hadlee | 88 | West Indies | Lancaster Park, Christchurch | 1979 |
| 7 | Brendon McCullum | 94 | Zimbabwe | Harare Sports Club, Harare | 2005 |
| 8 | Ross Taylor | 99 | India | M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 2012 |