Top 10 First Centurions In Cricket Playing Nations

September 14, 2021 By Sourav

From 15 March 1877, when the inaugural test match was played till now, the Cricket world has witnessed over two thousand Test matches and more than two million runs have been made so far. Everybody knows who has scored the highest number of centuries or double centuries or triple centuries. But do you know who was India's first centurion? Or who has scored the first hundred for Australia? To get it clear in your mind, here we are with the list of Top 10 First Centurions In Cricket Playing Nations.

First Centurions In Cricket Playing Nations

10. Charles Bannerman (Australia)

It was the birth of Test cricket in Melbourne in 1877, when Charles Bannerman faced the first ball of Test cricket. He scored the first run and the maiden hundred of cricket history.

He was also the first man to retire hurt. Bannerman's 165 runs innings still remains in the record book as the highest percentage (67.3%) of runs scored by a single player out of a complete inning.

No other Australian batsman was able to reach 20 in the same innings. However, after scoring a brilliant 165, Bannerman opted to retire hurt after his right hand was split by a lob from George Ulyett.

Charles Bannerman has played only 3 Test matches for Australia. He surely deserves his place among the top 10 first centurions in cricket-playing nations. Besides, he has also made his name one of the best first-class cricketers of all time.

9. W.G Grace (England)

After Bannerman’s century, it was the fourth test match in cricket history when one of the greatest batsmen of test cricket showed his brilliance.

William Gilbert Grace, the name is very much familiar to numerous cricket lovers. In 1880, against Australia, Grace made a superb 152 after playing 294 deliveries with the help of 12 boundaries.

The statistics of his career are alone enough to explain why Grace is one of the best batsmen ever to grace the game of cricket. His first-class statistics are looked unbreakable.

Grace has played 870 first-class matches and scored 54211 runs. This cricketer surely deserves his place among the top 10 first centurions in cricket-playing nations.

8. Jimmy Sinclair (South Africa)

After the rivalries between Australia and England, then came a South African who scored the first hundred for his nation.

After seven consecutive defeats, in the 1898-99 series against England at Cape Town, Jimmy Sinclair scored a valiant 106 runs with the help of 9 fours. He also became the first player to score a century and take six wickets in the first innings of the same Test.

But all his efforts went in vain as it couldn't stop South Africa from yet another defeat. In the early days of South African cricket, Jimmy was the backbone of the South African team.

As an all-rounder, Jimmy has scored 1069 runs and also taken 63 wickets after playing 25 matches for his country. Sinclair now holds his place among the top 10 first centurions in cricket-playing nations.

7. Clifford Roach (West Indies)

In January 1930, in the Bridgetown Test against England, a hard-hitting batsman and opener from West Indies made a glorious 122 and became the first batsman from West Indies to score a century in Test cricket.

Roach now surely deserves his place among the top 10 first centurions in cricket-playing nations.

Clifford Roach, a member of the side which played in West Indies' First Test Match, at Lord's in 1928, smashed 20 boundaries during that brilliant innings.

He has also scored the first Test double-hundred two Tests later for West Indies. He has played 16 matches for West Indies and scored 952 runs with the help of 2 hundred to his name.

6. Stewie Dempster (New Zealand)

Dempster is most probably the best batsman New Zealand has produced ever. A batting average of more than 65 is the evidence that proves his batting talent.

He scored New Zealand's first Test century when he made an impressive 136 with 8 fours against England at Basin Reserve, Wellington on 24^th January 1930.

He batted for 274 minutes during this innings which took New Zealand to a formidable total of 440 in the first innings. In the second innings, Dempster also scored another brilliant 80 runs.

In first-class matches, Dempster scored 12,267 runs, with an average of 45.43. This batsman also deserves his place among the top 10 first centurions in cricket-playing nations.

5. Lala Amarnath (India)

No doubt, Lala Amarnath was the first superstar of Indian cricket. one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, Amarnath made a valiant 118 against England at Bombay in December 1933 on his Test debut against England.

He played for 185 minutes and cracked 21 boundaries during his innings. Lala, without any doubt, deserves his place among the first centurions in cricket-playing nations.

He has scored 874 runs and taken 45 wickets in just 24 matches for India. His three sons became first-class cricketers and two played in Tests.

He was one of the most popular celebrities in Indian cricket as a selector, manager, coach, and broadcaster.

4. Nazar Mohammad (Pakistan)

Mohammad was the first Pakistani player to face the ball in Test cricket, at Delhi in 1952-53, and scored a century in the next match at Lucknow.

He became the country's first Test centurion after being batted throughout Pakistan's 515-minute innings against India and scored 124 not out. Nazar surely deserves his place among the top 10 first centurions in cricket-playing nations.

Nazar’s painstaking display that lasted eight hours thirty-five minutes set up an innings victory for Pakistan and he became the first player to be on the field throughout a Test.

After some years his career ended because of a domestic accident that damaged his arm.

3. Sidath Wettimuny (Sri Lanka)

It was Sri Lanka’s third official Test, against Pakistan in Faisalabad in March 1982. A Sri Lankan batsman batted throughout the first day and during this process, he had crossed the three-figure mark for the first time for his country.

And now, he holds his place among the top 10 first centurions in cricket-playing nations.

His name was Sidath Wettimuny and he became the first Sri Lankan batsman to score a century against Pakistan on 14^th March 1982.

He scored a spectacular 157 runs after batted for 372 minutes of just 330 balls with 21 boundaries. He was a solid right-hand batsman who played 23 test matches for Sri Lanka.

2. Dave Houghton (Zimbabwe)

After Charles Bannerman, Dave Houghton became the second batsman to score a century in his country's first match. The match was against India at Harare in October 1992, when Houghton scored a brilliant 121 which helped Zimbabwe to deny an Indian Victory on their first Test match.

Dave now holds his place among the top 10 first centurions in cricket-playing nations.

With this Zimbabwe became the second country after Australia not to lose its first Test match.

One can simply say Dave Houghton is one of Zimbabwe's best two batsmen in their short Test history, alongside Andy Flower. Houghton who played 22 Tests for his country made 1464 runs with 4 centuries.

1. Aminul Islam (Bangladesh)

Bangladesh was the last team that got test status in the year 2000. On 10^th November 2000, Bangladesh played the first test match against India at Dhaka.

Surprisingly Aminul Islam played really well against the Indian bowlers and scored a brilliant 145 and became the country’s first cricketer to score a century.

He played for 535 minutes and faced 380 deliveries. His century also included 17 boundaries.

Aminul’s 145 was the second-highest score in a nation's debut after Charles Bannerman's 165 for Australia in the first official Test match. And now, he deserves his place among the top 10 first centurions in cricket-playing nations.

Conclusion

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