NEW DELHI: South Africa opener Hashim Amla on Saturday broke the record held by India captain Virat Kohli as the fastest cricketer, in terms of innings, to reach the milestone of 27 ODI centuries.
Amla struck a magnificent 108* off 120 deliveries in the first ODI in the recent fixture against Pakistan at St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth, on Saturday
The 31-year-old batsman took two innings less (167 innings) to scored 27 ODI centuries, while the Indian skipper had taken 169 innings to reach the mark against England on 15 January 2017 in Pune.
Amla, one of the most consistent batsmen of the modern era also became only the fifth cricketer in the history to score 27 centuries in the format of the game.
Only India’s iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar (49), former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting (30) and Sri Lankan legend Sanath Jayasuriya (28) are ahead of Amla in this illustrious list.
In January 2017, all these gentlemen were surpassed by Virat Kohli. The record is now held by Hashim Amla.
Players who have hit 27 ODI centuries or more (in terms of innings)
Amla and Reeza Hendricks (45) put on 82 off 105 balls for the first wicket before Van der Dussen made a slow start in his first one-day international, taking ten balls to score his first run.
But the scoring rate picked up and Van der Dussen hit six fours and three sixes in a 101-ball innings. Amla made his runs off 120 balls with seven fours and a six.