Fastest batter to score five ODI centuries
Scoring a century is an important achievement for a batter. While most batters rate a Test century in the highest regard, getting to the three-figure mark in ODI cricket is no mean feat. There have been some masters of ODI cricket over the years. Not all of them showed promise early in their careers. However, some special players made it big from the beginning of their careers and had the ability to convert their starts into hundreds, which is vital in the beautiful game of cricket. Here are cricketers who got to five ODI centuries having played the least number of innings.
3. Babar Azam – 25 innings
The talismanic Pakistani batter has excelled in all three formats of the game but his exploits in ODI cricket are exemplary. In 102 matches, he has scored 5142 runs at a staggering average of 58.43. He currently has 18 centuries to his name but he scored the fifth one in just his 25th innings. He has saved Pakistan from many precarious situations during his illustrious career and is also doing a decent job as the leader of the side.
2. Rahmanullah Gurbaz – 23 innings
The 21-year-old is touted as the next big thing in international cricket. Afghanistan has produced superstar spinners like Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman among others. However, there haven’t been too many explosive batters emerging from the country. The likes of Hazratullah Zazai and Najibullah Zadran are a couple of players who have done well in patches for Afghanistan but Gurbaz seems to be the one for the long haul. He scored his fifth international hundred against Pakistan in just his 23rd inning. In 23 matches so far in his ODI career, the wicketkeeper-batter has scored 948 runs at an average of 43.09 and a strike rate of 86.65.
1. Quinton de Kock, Imam-ul-Haq – 19 innings
The South African is considered one of the finest wicketkeeper-batters of all time. He had a blistering start to his ODI career and notched up his fifth ODI hundred in just his 19th innings. One of the many stunning achievements in his career came in 2013 when he scored three consecutive centuries against India in an ODI series. De Kock has 5966 runs in 140 ODIs for the Proteas and has registered 17 hundreds in the format.
Imam-ul-Haq, on the other hand, has been exceptional for Pakistan at the top of the order. He is sometimes overshadowed by his captain Babar Azam but his average of 52.2 after 61 matches shows how great a servant the southpaw has been for Pakistan cricket. Like de Kock, Imam also scored his fifth ODI hundred in his 19th innings.
