Abu Dhabi: Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul Haq equalled the 28-year-old record for the fastest Test century when he hit one off 56 balls on the fourth day of the second Test against Australia in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
The record for the fastest Test hundred in terms of balls faced was set by West Indian legend Viv Richards, against England at Antigua in 1986, who also took 56 balls.
Misbah earlier smashed the fastest Test half-century record before lunch, reaching the figure off just 21 balls. That beat the previous record held by South Africa’s Jacques Kallis scored against Zimbabwe at Cape Town in 2004.
Misbah hit two bounadaries off paceman Mitchell Starc to reach his hundred, and punched the air in delight.
This is also the second fastest hundred in terms of time, behind Australia’s Jack Gregory who reached a hundred after 70 minutes batting against South Africa at Johannesburg in 1921. Misbah took 74 minutes to reach the mark.
Misbah cut loose after Younis Khan fell for 46, hitting three sixes and a four off one Steven Smith over and then hit the spinner for his fourth six an over later. In all, he had hit four boundaries and as many sixes.
The previous fastest fifty in terms of time was held by Bangladesh’s Mohammad Ashraful who took 27 minutes for his fifty against India at Dhaka in 2007.
That helped Pakistan to declare their second innings at 293-3, setting a mammoth 603-run target for Australia to win the match.
Pakistan, who have not won a Test series against Australia since beating them 1-0 at home in 1994, won the first Test by 221 runs in Dubai.
The previous fastest Test half-century by a Pakistani batsman was by Shahid Afridi who took 26 balls to reach the mark, against India at Bangalore in 2005.
Majid Khan previously held the record for the fastest hundred by a Pakistani, scoring it off 74 balls against New Zealand in Karachi in 1976.