Quinton de Kock becomes youngest and quickest batsman to score 5 ODI hundreds
Quinton de Kock became the youngest and quickest batsman to score 5 ODI hundreds when he reached the 3-figure mark against Sri Lanka in the 3rd and series-deciding ODI at Hambantota. de Kock struck 12 fours and 3 sixes in his innings which helped South Africa post 339 after having won the toss and electing to bat first. Captain AB de Villiers too struck a quickfire hundred.
At the age of 21 years and 207 days, de Kock racked up 128 runs before falling to off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake. This was only his 19th one day international. De Kock rose to prominence when he scored three successive centuries against the touring Indians last December.
Sri Lankan opener Upul Tharanga held both the records previously which were broken by the South African today. Tharanga was 21 years and 247 days old when he scored his 5th hundred in 2006 in his 28th innings, having made his debut a year before.
De Cock stitched century partnerships with Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers en route to his ton. Having played his first ODI against New Zealand in January 2013, he scored his maiden ton against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi before smashing three in three matches against India. Interestingly, all five centuries have come against sub-continent teams.
The record for quickest five ODI tons was jointly owned by Tharanga and India's Shikhar Dhawan. The South African is well in front now.
List of players who took least innings for their fifth ton:
| # | Batsman | Innings to reach 5 tons | Total career centuries | Total career runs | Career average | Career highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quinton de Kock (SA) | 19 | 5 | 900 | 47.36 | 135 |
| 2 | Upul Tharanga (SL) | 28 | 13 | 5252 | 33.88 | 174* |
| Shikhar Dhawan (Ind) | 28 | 5 | 1504 | 41.77 | 119 | |
| 3 | Hashim Amla (SA) | 30 | 14 | 4312 | 54.58 | 150 |
| 4 | Ryan ten Deoschate (Ned) | 32 | 5 | 1541 | 67.00 | 119 |
| 5 | Zaheer Abbas (Pak) | 35 | 7 | 2572 | 47.62 | 123 |
*Stats updated till July 12, 2014