Reaching a hundred in cricket can be a big milestone. Since it's a major deal, cricketers won't rush to it. They will most likely take their sweet time to reach it.
However, not all will do this. Natural aggressive batters will hit every ball possible in a quest to get quick runs and a possible result. Due to this, hundreds are scored in no time. Records are constantly being rewritten to accommodate the reigning ones.
In 1982, South Australia captain David Hookes was left frothing at the mouth after his opposite number, Graham Yallop, chose to extend the Victoria innings untill the end of the second session on the fourth and final day. South Australia were left to score 272 runs in 30 overs. Victoria's declaration was a token; the time remaining a formality - or so it seemed then - and the situation was perfect for spectators to exit early.
There was one huge factor many failed to consider: Hookes's anger. He promoted himself as an opener (he normally played at No. 5) and took it out on the bowlers. Victoria had already felt the impact of his bat when he hammered 137 in the first innings; scoring a century between lunch and tea.
Yallop's 151 in the second innings against Rodney Hogg and West Indies import Joel Garner was a blessing for Victoria but the delayed declaration turned out to be a curse as it brought out the beast in Hookes.
When he was just 20 and still to make his foray into first-class cricket, Hookes had hit six sixes in an over in a match in London. It was primarily his reputation as a plunderer that delayed Yallop's declaration here.
Hookes opened the innings with Rick Darling and pulled the first ball from Peter King high over midwicket and onto the roof of the members' stand. The impact of leather against tin roof resounded around the ground. King, who got 5 for 88 in the first innings, went on to be battered out of the attack with figures of 2-0-38-0.
In the carnage of the opening overs bowled by Rod McCurdy and King, Shaun Graf distinctly remembered fielding at deep backward point when a shot from Hookes thundered to the boundary before he could get to the ball - and it was barely five yards away from me.
Graf remembered Yallop coming over to him at the end of King's second over and telling him that he was next in the line of fire. He asked him the field of his choice and he thought it wise to pack the off side - which had a longer boundary - and bowl wide of the off stump.
It was an excellent defensive ploy in theory but after being taken apart for 18 runs in his first over; Graf had to do a hasty rethink. He remembers bowling almost a foot outside the off stump and Hookes was walking inside the line to hit past the unmanned fine leg for four.
It was his day and anything he tried came off; including a couple of edges which went through slips. Just three bowlers bowled in the second innings and Graf thought it wouldn't have been a bad idea for Yallop to have effected a change of pace by bringing on Jim Higgs and the orthodox, slow left-arm spinner, Peter Cox.
Victoria were shell-shocked; no doubt but they knew they only had to dismiss Hookes to get right back into the game. As it turned out, they were only three wickets away from winning themselves as South Australia kept going for the runs and losing wickets in the process.
Such was the brilliance of Hookes' calculated assault that when he got to his hundred, the free-stroking Rick Darling was only on seven. Hookes' 50 had come in 17 minutes and his 100 in 43 minutes from 34 balls (17x4, 3x6).
There were some 400 spectators when the South Australian innings began; by the time the match ended there were about 4 000. McCurdy was hit for 88 runs in 12 overs and Shaun Graf went for 67 in 10.
His dismissal for 107 (made in only 55 minutes) ended South Australia's hopes of victory.
Hookes record wouldn't last long. It was broken in 1993 by Glen Chapple while playing for Lancashire. This occured in a County Chhampionship game between Lancashire and Glamorgan.
Playing for a side that boasted the likes of future England opener and captain, Mike Atherton; they batted first and scored 310 all out. Batting at no. 10; Chapple scored 24*. Glamorgan responded with 303-5 declared. Chapple had bowling figures of 0-22 after 7 overs.
Coming into the 2nd innings and have a lead of 7; Chaple would be promoted to opening the batting. He would score 109 runs; scoring a hundred of 27 balls. Lancashire would end their second innings on 235-1 declared. This set Glamorgan a target of 243.
Rather surpringly, Glamorgan would reach the target with relative ease. They won by 7 wickets.
In terms of One Day Internationals, South Africa's A.B. De Villiers hold's the record. This came against West Indies in 2015. He would score his hundred off 31 balls. This hundred just added more carnage. He came in the 39th over when South Africa were 247-1. De Villiers would end up scoring 149. South Africa had scored 439-2 in the process.
West Indies could only manage 291-7 in their allotted 50 overs.
In T20i's, Estonia's Sahil Chauhan holds the record by scoring one in 27 balls against Cyprus in 2024. The latter batted first and amassed 191-7. Estonia reached the target with 42 balls to spare. Chauhan scored 144* (off 41 balls) (6x4 & 18x6). That's a % of 74 out of the total runs scored.
In terms of the ultimate format, Test cricket, current ODI and T20 coach of England and former Kiwi batter, Brendon McCulum, holds that prestige. It came in a losing effort against Australia in 2016.
Batting first, New Zealand were bowled out for 370. McCullum would score a century in 54 balls and end up scoring 145 (off 79 balls). Australia would respond with 505 all out. Joe Burns top scored with 170.
Trailing by 135 runs; New Zealand would score 335 in their second innings. This set the Aussies a target of 201. Australia would go on to win by 7 wickets.
WhIle it can be exciting to see moments like above; it can be a bit dangerous. Not knowing how the other players will perform; it's important to keep an established (one who's been scoring runs in the match) batsman at one end to keep the momentum going.
A mere wicket could cause a collapse like a house of cards.