Scoring 30 Test centuries is not everyone’s cup of tea because it requires consistency, hard work, skills, dedication and patience. Many great players have ended their careers with less than 30 centuries to their name. On the other hand, there have been some great consistent cricketers who managed to accomplish the feat of scoring 30 centuries in less than 170 innings.
Former Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar and former Australian cricket team captain Ricky Ponting narrowly missed out on achieving this record. While Gavaskar needed 174 innings to score 30 centuries, Ponting touched the milestone in exactly 170 innings.
In this listicle today, we will look at the three such batters who completed 30 centuries before playing their 170th innings in the longest format of cricket.
(Stats: Shebas)
3. Matthew Hayden scored 30 Test centuries in 167 innings
Former Australian cricket team batter Matthew Hayden is one of the two Aussies present on this list. The southpaw smacked 30 scores of 100 or more in the first 167 innings of his career. Hayden was a great batter who could destroy the bowling lineup of any team in the world. He even played some marathon knocks and helped Australia win many Tests.
2. Steve Smith scored 30 Test centuries in 162 innings
Current Australian cricket team batter Steve Smith broke Matthew Hayden’s record for the least innings by an Australian to complete 30 centuries in this format. Earlier today, Smith hit his 30th ton in the 162nd innings of his career.
1. Sachin Tendulkar – 159 innings (Quickest)
Former Indian cricket team batter Sachin Tendulkar owns the record for the least innings taken by any cricketer to register 30 hundreds. Nicknamed the God of cricket, Sachin accomplished the feat in only his 159th innings, making him the only player in the history of this format to register 30 centuries in less than 160 innings.
