England are the one that introduced the world to the game of cricket. They are the oldest cricket nation in the world and have been playing this sport for more than a century. Over the years, England have had many glorious moments in Test cricket.
They have produced some greats of the game. From the era where they were solid as a wall to the Bazball era, where England never shy away from taking on the opposition, irrespective of the situation. The English team have given many batting stars who dominated the opposition in their own way.
This blog will also have some of the great performances from the English batters. Test cricket is the game which test the determination and hard work of a batter. However, English batters have registered some of the fastest centuries in test cricket.
List of top five fastest test century for England
1. Gilbert Jessop (76 Balls) vs Australia, The Oval in 1902
The record for the fastest Test century for England is registered by Gilbert Jessop way back in 1902. He slammed a 76-ball century in an Ashes test against Australia at the Oval in August 1902. This was the fifth and final test, and England had a target of 263 to chase. That is when Jessop slammed a 76-ball century and made 104 off 77 balls with 17 fours. England reached 263/9 and won by just one wicket. This record is still at the top.
2. Jonny Bairstow (77 Balls) vs New Zealand, Trent Bridge in 2022
Jonny Bairstow came near to breaking Gilbert's fastest test century record. This was a test match against New Zealand in June 2022 and was the first test series for Ben Stokes as captain and Brendon McCullum as head coach. They started the trend of playing Test cricket aggressively. Bairstow reached his century off 77 balls, scoring 136 off 92 balls. His knock included 14 fours and seven sixes, and he helped England to reach 299/5, to win the game.
3. Harry Brook (80 Balls) vs Pakistan, Rawalpindi in 2022
Harry Brook has already delivered some match-winning moments, one of which was in the 2022 three-match Test series against Pakistan. He scored three centuries in all three matches, and won the Player of the Match award. In the first test, he slammed an 80-ball century and scored 153 off 116 balls, with 19 fours and five sixes in the first innings. He also scored 87 off 65 balls in the second innings.
4. Jamie Smith (80 Balls) vs India, Birmingham in 2025
The joint-third fastest test century for England was hit by wicket-keeper batter Jamie Smith. He hit an 80-ball century against India during the 2025 test century. He joined the crease when England were at 84/5 and played a counter-attacking knock. His century put India under pressure, and it was his second Test hundred.
5. Ben Stokes (85 Balls) vs New Zealand, Lord's in 2015
The fourth-fastest century for England in a test came from the bat of Ben Stokes, which was recorded at Lord’s against New Zealand in May 2015. Stokes missed a century in the first innings and scored 92 off 94 balls. In the second innings, England were trailing by 134 runs; that is when Stokes scored an 85-ball ton. He made 101 off 92 balls, with 15 fours and three sixes. England won the game by 124 runs, and Stokes won the Player of the Match award.