The World Cup 2023 will kick-start on October 5, with the final slated on November 19. This year’s tournament will be the 13th edition of the ODI WC, starting from 1975 and the last edition being in 2019.
Scoring centuries and winning games for your team in a World Cup match, especially if it’s in a knockout game, remains one of the biggest dreams for any batter in the world. For, the ODI WC comes around every four years, and despite the talks of ODI cricket dying and diminishing interest in it, the ODI WC remains the pinnacle and a highly-celebrated and very-hyped-up event.
The game, and certainly batting, has, without a doubt, changed significantly from the first ODI WC in 1975 to the now upcoming one in 2023. The pitches have gotten flatter, the rules – of two balls being used and powerplay restrictions – favor the batters more, the players have become stronger, and some grounds have small boundary dimensions compared to those in the previous eras. There is a chance that the record for the fastest ODI World Cup century could be broken this time.
Here are the top 5 fastest ODI World Cup hundreds in history:

1) Kevin O’Brien (Ireland): 50 balls vs England, 2011
Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien continues to hold the record for the fastest ODI World Cup century, which he created in 2011 against England in Bangalore, smashing a hundred in only 50 balls. That knock helped Ireland record a historic and famous win over England by chasing down the target of 328 runs.
2) Glenn Maxwell (Australia): 51 balls vs Sri Lanka, 2015
In a group game in the 2015 WC in Sydney, Australia’s Glenn Maxwell cracked a 51-ball century vs Sri Lanka, missing Kevin O’Brien’s record by just one ball. It propelled Australia’s score to 376.
3) AB de Villiers (South Africa): 52 balls vs West Indies, 2015
De Villiers’ assault against the West Indies bowlers in a 2015 WC match in Sydney remains one of the most famous World Cup innings. Overall, AB de Villiers plundered 162* runs in only 66 balls, having brought up his century in 52 deliveries.
Here is list of top 10 fastest centuries in ODI World Cup history:
Rank | Player | Total Runs | Opposition | Balls | Date |
1 | Kevin O’Brien (IRE) | 113 | England | 50 | 02-Mar-11 |
2 | Glenn Maxwell (AUS) | 102 | Sri Lanka | 51 | 08-Mar-15 |
3 | AB de Villiers (SA) | 162* | West Indies | 52 | 27-Feb-15 |
4 | Eoin Morgan (ENG) | 101 | Afghanistan | 57 | 18-Jun-19 |
5 | Mathew Hayden (AUS) | 111 | South Africa | 66 | 24-Mar-07 |
6 | Jim Davison (CAN) | 117* | West Indies | 67 | 23-Feb-03 |
7 | Kumar Sangakkara (SL) | 117 | England | 70 | 01-Mar-15 |
8 | Paul Stirling (IRE) | 101 | Netherlands | 70 | 18-Mar-11 |
9 | Kapil Dev (IND) | 175 | Zimbabwe | 72 | 18-Jun-83 |
10 | Adam Gilchrist (AUS) | 149 | Sri Lanka | 72 | 28-Apr-07 |