Top 5 batters with best ‘innings-per-century’ rate in international cricket

Matthew Hayden and Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Hamish Blair/Getty Images and Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

International cricket is divided into three categories; Test matches, ODI matches and T20 matches. The workload in modern cricket is tough especially with franchise cricket also being included in the calendar. What we often see now is players taking regular breaks from series’ or just retiring from one or two forms of the game to prolong their cricketing career. 

The most important reason to play for your country is to win the games. Although there are many batters who have taken their teams to victory, there are some who have done this with incredible consistency. The below five batters have batted with excellent steadiness and in the process topped the charts for the best ‘innings-per-century’ rate in international cricket. 

We look at the top 5 batters in international cricket who have the best ratio for innings-per-century made.

5.      Matthew Hayden (Australia) – 8.7 innings per century

Matthew Hayden. (Photo Source: Twitter)

A strong tall left-handed opening batter who often wandered down the wicket to fast bowlers to smack them for boundaries whenever he wanted; that’s Matthew Hayden for you. Physically he was strong, but his greatest strength was his mental ability to stay calm and concentrate. Hayden was integral in scoring runs against India in 2001 and was the pillar of Australia’s ability to win international trophies from 2000 – 2009. 

Having scored 40 centuries in 348 innings Hayden ended his international cricketing career with an average of 8.7 innings per century. Quite outstanding stats from a player who opened the innings 340 times out of the 348 innings played. He was always facing the new ball and his records show how he survived the new ball barrage but also remained on the crease to score big. Hayden sits 5th in this innings-per-century list. The only other all-format opener in the top 10 is Sunil Gavaskar.

Although he didn’t score an international 100 in T20Is for Australia, he passed a half-century four times in nine innings. 30 centuries and 29 half-centuries in Test cricket are evidence of his brilliant conversion rate. Between the years 2001 – 2007 (282 innings and 37 hundred), there was a dip in form, but he still had a ratio of 7.6 innings per century in that period. Australia have been gifted with great batters, and Matthew Hayden for sure is one of them.

4.      Steve Smith (Australia) – 8.14 innings per century

Steve Smith. (Photo Source: Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

The greatest thing about Steve Smith is that he started as a spin bowler but surprisingly has become one of Australia’s greatest-ever batters. Smith is the backbone of the Australian lineup. Apart from his fantastic run-scoring ability, he is a brilliant fielder. Furthermore, his part-time bowling often brings about wickets for the Australian team. His technique, maybe a little different to others, has never limited his ability to score centuries. Not many can average 58 in Test cricket after 181 innings.

Steve Smith can look around his competition and know he proudly sits on top with brilliant Test cricket stats. It takes him just 8.14 innings to score a century in all forms of cricket, and this too with having taken some time out of the game. The right-hand batter has 44 centuries from 358 innings with plenty more runs still to come. Smith (32) currently sits in 2nd place behind Ricky Ponting (41) in most centuries scored for Australia in Test cricket.

It will be a matter of time until Smith scores that elusive T20 hundred. Smith’s conversion rate in Test cricket is incredible, with 32 centuries and 39 half-centuries. His appetite for run-scoring is evident and as it was proved in 2019 Ashes, not much can keep him down. Smith enjoys playing against India and England, where he has scored 14 centuries and 13 half-centuries against those countries respectively. For comparison, Rohit Sharma also has 44 international centuries, but this comes after playing 107 more innings than Smith.

3.      Hashim Amla (South Africa) – 7.95 innings per century

Hashim Amla (Image source: Getty Images)

You need someone to bat for your life, who do you ask? It’s Hashim Amla! A pure master of a batter who pretty much got the job done at most times. A class man who holds plenty of records in international cricket. Amla on various occasions was a South African captain and tasted success by winning at home and away. He may not have been an instant success, but his grit and determination earned him a recall to the team, and after that, his career took off and he never looked back.

Amla played 437 international innings from 2004-2019 while scoring 55 centuries. This gave him a ratio of 7.95 innings per century. Incredible stats to think that the start and end of his career didn’t give him much success, but everything in between is the reason why his stats boast of scoring a 100 literally every 8 innings. For South Africa, Amla currently sits at number 1 in most ODI centuries (27) and number 2 in most centuries (28) scored.

A breakdown of his stats shows his best years of 2010 – 2017 which he scored 46 centuries in 248 innings. This was at a ratio of 5.39 innings per century! Whatever happens to South African cricket, Hashim Amla will be one of their greatest-ever batters in all formats. Whenever in crisis, he delivered and has been one of the most consistent batters in cricket history. Mammoth innings against England in 2012 or against Australia in 2013 kept on proving critics wrong and kept South Africa to their winning ways.

2.      Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 7.82 innings per century

Sachin Tendulkar. (Photo Source: Twitter)

The little master, the batting maestro; just a few of a long list of nicknames given to the genius that is Sachin Tendulkar. A setter of many records, some of which are impossible to be broken. Tendulkar enjoyed a long career in international cricket, and he was able to do this because of the very young age he started, and he took fitness very seriously.  By the end of Sachin Tendulkar’s career, he had become a role model which many of today’s players idolise and still are learning from.

Tendulkar is currently 2nd on the list with an ever-remarkable ratio of 7.82. The most impressive thing about Tendulkar’s stats is that he played 223 more innings than Kohli but is just marginally behind him. Tendulkar played 782 innings with 100 centuries to his name. Tendulkar may have only played 1 international T20 but enjoyed most of his success in ODI and Test cricket. His stats while playing IPL cricket hasn’t been included in this, but he did score one 100 also there.

Sachin Tendulkar was the backbone of the Indian batting lineup and if was often said that in the 90s, for India to win the game, it was purely on Tendulkar’s shoulders to make that happen. Tendulkar made 51 centuries in Test matches and he made 49 centuries in ODI cricket. No matter what happens, and the years can pass by, the name Sachin Tendulkar will never be forgotten. The 5ft 5in man with the heavy MRF bat playing the straight drive will be the image our minds will never erase.

1.      Virat Kohli (India) – 7.36 innings per century

Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Jio Cinema)

The Delhi-born batter comes in on top of the list with the best ratio of innings per century made in international cricket. Captain of the u-19 Indian team which won the ODI world cup in 2008, Kohli has had a spectacular career since then. Captained the Indian team for many years and that too to many successful series wins at home and away. Virat Kohli’s aggressive and do-or-die attitude has been the catalyst for India’s success and for his own personal success.

Kohli went through a period of some time without scoring a century, yet he still has the best ratio of 7.36 innings played per century made. This just emphasises the brilliant player he is and why he is the most consistent batter in the history of the game. Kohli has currently played 559 innings in international cricket while scoring 76 hundreds. Kohli sits 2nd in most centuries scored in international cricket, and he is one of few players to have scored hundreds in all forms of international cricket. 

Kohli has some memorable centuries to his name, some of which include 183 vs Pakistan in 2012, 133 vs Sri Lanka in 2012, 123 vs Australia in 2018, and 153 vs South Africa in 2018. Kohli’s biggest attribute is his hunger to score, something that propels him to achieve greatness in the sport. Kohli can proudly say he has scored ODI and Test centuries in all SENA countries. A true superstar and matchwinner Virat Kohli, and his glorious stats speak for themselves.