Century
Also known as: hundred, 100, ton, century partnership
A century is a batting milestone of 100 or more runs scored by a single batter in one innings — the most celebrated individual achievement in cricket batting.
Scoring a century (often called a "ton") is regarded as cricket's defining individual batting achievement. It requires sustained concentration, technical correctness, physical endurance (especially in longer formats), and the ability to manage pressure through different phases of the innings. In Test cricket, scoring a century against high-quality bowling on a difficult pitch is the gold standard. In T20 cricket, a century is rare and achieved quickly — in 20 to 40 balls by the most aggressive batters. A batter signals a century by raising the bat to acknowledge the crowd and their team. A century partnership is when two batters together score 100 or more runs for the same wicket. Records for most Test centuries are among the most prestigious in all of sport — Sachin Tendulkar's 100 international centuries being the highest ever.
Example
After 185 balls of patient accumulation, the batter works the ball off their legs for two to reach the nervous 90s, then gently pushes a single to reach three figures — the crowd rises to applaud the century.
Why it matters
The century is the individual benchmark of batting excellence. SwingVantage's cricket analysis (in development) will frame long-innings technical skills — building against different bowlers and formats — in the context of what it takes to reach and convert a century.
Related terms
- Golden DuckA golden duck is when a batter is dismissed for zero runs on the very first ball they face in an innings — the most emphatic possible batting failure.
- Test CricketTest cricket is the oldest, longest, and most prestigious format of the sport — played over up to five days between two national teams, with each side receiving two innings and ten wickets to be dismissed.
- JudgmentJudgment in cricket batting is the ability to quickly decide which deliveries to play and which to leave, choosing the right shot for each ball bowled.
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