Asia Cup: Five fastest hundreds

 The Asia Cup is one of the marquee cricket tournaments contested by teams from the Asian continent. The inaugural edition kicked off in 1984 in Sharjah, UAE. Since then, as many as 15 editions were completed. The Asia Cup has been played in the form of ODI and T20I formats. Out of the 15 editions so far, only two times, the tournament was contested in the form of a T20I format.

Meanwhile, Team India are the most successful team in the history of the Asia Cup. They have won a record seven titles. The Men in Blue won six titles in the ODI format and 1 title in the T20I format. Sri Lanka are the second-most successful team in the tournament with six titles (5 in ODIs and 1 in T20I). On the other hand, Pakistan won 2 Asia Cup titles.

Case in point, the cricket fraternity has witnessed batsmen playing the game with a lot of intent in the Asia Cup. In the process, these batsmen dominated the proceedings and scored the fastest centuries in the tournament. In this listicle, let’s now take a glance at the fastest centuries in Asia Cup history (ODI + T20I Format).

1. Shahid Afridi – 53 balls vs Bangladesh

Shahid Afridi holds the record for scoring the fastest hundred in the history of the Asia Cup against Bangladesh in Dabulla in 2010. He went all guns blazing from the get-go and was able to smash a century off just 53 balls, a record that remains intact. He ended up scoring 124 off 60 (17 fours, 4 sixes). His century helped Pakistan post 385/7. In response, the Tigers surrendered at the hands of the Green Shirts as they lost the game by 139 runs.

2. Sanath Jayasuriya – 55 balls vs Bangladesh

Sri Lankan batting great Sanath Jayasuriya holds the record for scoring the second-fastest century in Asia Cup history. He achieved the feat against Bangladesh in Karachi in 2008 where he hit a century off 55 balls. Jayasuriya ended up at 130 off 88 balls including 16 fours and 6 sixes. Sri Lanka posted 332/8 in their quota of 50 overs. The Bangladesh cricket team failed to turn up the ante in the run-chase as they lost the game by 174 runs.

3. Suresh Raina – 66 balls vs Hong Kong

Former India’s elegant middle-order batsman Suresh Raina comes next on the list as he holds the record for scoring the third-fastest century in Asia Cup history. Suresh Raina accomplished a landmark against the Hong Kong cricket team in the 2008 Asia Cup. He brought up his century off 66 balls. Raina ended up scoring 101 off 68. India scored 374/4 in their quota of 50 overs and in response, Hong Kong lost the game by 256 runs.

4. Iftikhar Ahmed – 67 balls vs Nepal

Iftikhar Ahmed etched his name into the record books after he became the second-fastest Pakistani batsman to score a century. He achieved the milestone against the Nepal cricket team wherein he brought up his century off 67 balls in Multan. Iftikhar Ahmed ended up scoring 109 off 71 balls (11 fours and 4 sixes). Pakistan posted 342/6 in their quota of 50 overs. In reply, Nepal lost the game by 238 runs.

5. Shahid Afridi – 68 balls vs Sri Lanka

Shahid Afridi holds the record for scoring 2 fastest centuries in Asia Cup history. After smashing the fastest century against Bangladesh in Dambulla in 2010, he achieved his second-fastest ton against Sri Lanka at the same venue and in the same year. He brought up his century in 68 balls. Afridi ended up scoring 109 off 76 balls (8 fours, 7 sixes). However, his century came in a losing cause as Pakistan lost the game by 16 runs.

Fastest Centuries in Asia Cup (T20I Format)

1. Babar Hayat – 50 balls vs Oman

Babar Hayat is the first Hong Kong batsman to score a T20I century. Notably, it is also the fastest century by an associate player and the fourth fastest overall in the shortest format. He achieved the feat against the Oman cricket team in Fatullah in 2016 in the qualifying group match of the 2016 Men’s T20I Asia Cup. He brought up his ton in 50 balls but his knock came in a losing cause as Hong Kong lost to Oman by 5 runs.

2. Virat Kohli – 53 balls vs Afghanistan

Former Indian captain Virat Kohli is the second-fastest batsman to score a T20I century in the Asia Cup. The right-handed batsman brought up his maiden T20I century off 53 balls in the 2022 Men’s T20I Asia Cup in UAE. Virat Kohli ended up scoring 122 off 61 deliveries including 12 fours and 6 sixes. His century helped Team India post 212/2 in 20 overs. India restricted Afghanistan to 111/8 and won the game by 101 runs.