Soumya equals Tamim’s record for Bangladesh’s fastest Test century

Soumya Sarkar was on 99 runs off 92 balls. The record was within touching distance. But a short ball by Tim Southee stymied him and the opportunity to equal the record passed him by. But Soumya Sarkar equalled it when he took a single off the very next delivery on Sunday, earning a place for himself beside Tamim Iqbal in Bangladesh’s record books.

Soumya and Tamim now jointly hold the record for the fastest century in Tests for Bangladesh. Soumya reached the milestone by scoring a century off 94 balls on the Day 4 of the first Test match against New Zealand in Hamilton.

Tamim made the record in 2010 during a memorable innings against England at Lords in 2010.

Soumya started the day on 39 off 51 balls. He reached his half century in 60 balls at the start of the day in one over from Trent Boult, smashing him for fours and sixes. His second 50 took only 34 balls and came from a combination of mesmerizing pulls, hooks and drives.

Soumya upped his scoring rate as he neared his hundred. He reached 80 by hooking Wagner for a six. He crossed 90 by coming down the wicket and hitting Todd Astle over his head for a six. He reached 99 by hitting Southee for a beautiful off-drive.

He played majestically even after reaching his hundred. His innings ended on 149 off 171 balls.

After Tamim and Soumya, Mominul Haque holds the record for the second fastest hundred by a Bangladeshi batsman in Tests. His century had also come against New Zealand. He scored the first century off his career off 98 balls in 2013 at Chattogram on his way towards scoring 181.

Tamim also holds the third and fourth spots in the record book. The left-handed opener scored a century off 100 balls in 2010 at Old Trafford during the second Test of an England tour. In the on-going Hamilton Test, Tamim again scored a century in the first innings off 100 balls on his way towards scoring 126 runs.

Brendon McCullum holds the world record for the fastest hundred in Test cricket. The former New Zealand captain scored a century off 54 balls against Australia in 2016. He played an explosive innings in Christchurch that day, eventually scoring 145 runs off 79 balls.  

Virender Sehwag has scored seven hundreds under 100 balls. Adam Gilchrist has done it six times. McCullum, Chris Gayle and David Warner did it four times. Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, Brian Lara and Shahid Afridi have done it three times.