For 18 long years, the record for the fastest century in One-Day International cricket belonged to Shahid Afridi. On this day – October 4 – 23 years ago, the Pakistani dasher scored a hundred off just 37 balls against Sri Lanka.
When Pakistan took on Sri Lanka in the KCA Centenary tournament in Nairobi on October 4, 1996, Afridi put on a hitting exhibition the world had never seen before.
What was most fascinating about Afridi’s effort was the fact that it was his first international innings that day.
The then 21-year-old right-hander walked out to bat at No 3 and went on to make 102 runs off 40 deliveries. He brought up his ton in just 37 balls and his knock was studded with six fours and 11 sixes.
Pakistan went on to score 371/9 in 50 overs, with skipper Saeed Anwar scoring 115 off 120. Such a team total was far from the norm back then and it had largely been achieved due to Afridi’s sensational power hitting.
It took 18 years for Afridi’s record to be broken. New Zealand’s Corey Anderson smashed a 36-ball ton against West Indies in 2014 to get his name in the record books.
A year after that, South African great AB de Villiers, too, tore into the Windies attack and registered a jaw-dropping century in just 31 deliveries. That innings, to this day, is the fastest ever hundred scored in an ODI match.
To mark the 23-year anniversary of that stunning effort from Afridi, here are highlights from his innings that day:
