Surrey opener Will Jacks blasted a century off just 25 balls. (Twitter/Surrey Cricket)During a pre-season 10-over match in the triangular tournament in Dubai, Surrey opening batsman opener Will Jacks hammered a ton off just 25 deliveries against Lancashire on Thursday. On the course of his innings, the 20-year-old batsman also struck six consecutive sixes in Stephen Parry’s over, as the bowler ended up conceding 37 runs in the over.
Jacks slammed 105 runs in 30 balls, which included 11 sixes and eight fours, helping Surrey post 176/3 on the scoreboard. He also surpassed Alex Hales’ 87 to became the first player to edge past the three-figure mark in a T10 match.
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1?1?sixes including six in an over@wjacks9‘ 100 in 25 balls against @lancscricket ?? pic.twitter.com/HKwfv4RXfq— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) 21 March 2019
The popularity of the ten-over format has received a massive boost in England as international players such as Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow regularly featuring in the T20 League during the winters.
Even though Jacks’ innings will not be mentioned in the official record books, it is still commendable as it came against a Lancashire side comprising several first-team regulars such as Steven Croft, Parry, Tom Bailey, and Haseeb Hameed.
Caribbean batsman Chris Gayle currently holds the record for the fastest individual century which came in just 30 deliveries against Pune Warriors during an IPL match in 2013. Gayle had then played an unbeaten knock of 175 off 66 deliveries, which included 13 fours and 17 sixes, helping his team post a mammoth 263/5 in 20 overs.
Former South Africa cricketer AB de Villiers, however, holds the record for the quickest century in international cricket. The left-handed batsman scored a 31-ball century against West Indies in an ODI match in 2015.
