Batsmen with fewest innings to reach 23 Test hundreds

Batsmen with fewest innings to reach 23 Test hundreds: In the ongoing test battle between South Africa and West Indies, Hashim Amla has slammed his 23rd test ton on Day 1. He, along with the other centurion, AB de Villiers has successfully placed the Proteas in a great position. Talking about the future master of the game, the Indian origin player, Hashim Amla became the 6th fastest cricketer to get to 23 test centuries. He has achieved this feat in 138 innings. One of the finest stroke players in current times and a possessor of the supple wrist, Amla is termed as a next-gen legend by experts delighted from his top performances mainly because he has a habit of having the lions’ share in the teams’ total score. Now, let us look into the list of top 5 players to reach to fastest 23 test tons. 7. Sir Garfield Sobers (West Indies) Sir Garfield Sobers stands 7th in the list with taking 140 innings to reach 23 test tons. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Sir Garfield Sobers (Known as Sir Garry Sobers) as the cricketing world knows this legend. Is one of the most remembered West Indian cricketers, the amount of talent he possessed could have got him into the team as either a batsman or a bowler as he was for most of his career an apt all-rounder for West Indies. Sir Garry took 140 test innings to reach the mark of 23 test hundreds. He happens to be the 7th quickest cricketer in the history of the game to do so. 6. Hashim Amla (South Africa) Hashim Amla stands 6th position in the list with taking 138 innings to reach 23 test tons. (Photo Source: AFP) Hashim Amla is slowly but steadily becoming a synonym to consistency, commitment and class. The way this South African captain bats, stands out from the entire generation of cricketers playing in this era. His composure, the confidence, that ability to go out there and score runs on the field every time he is out there truly signifies fans calling him a run machine. In the 138 test innings that Amla has played so far he has converted them into 23 test hundreds and is the 6th quickest player in cricket history to achieve the feat. A couple of years down the line and one would seriously see him as a contender for the top runs and century maker in cricket. 5. Mathew Hayden (Australia) Matthew Hayden stands 5th position in the list with reaching 23 test centuries in 131 innings (Photo Source: PA Photos) At no. 5 is the aggressive Aussie opener Mathew Hayden, often termed as Haydos. His giantly built physic and his ability to give out immense power in his stroke play make him one of the best Aussie openers to have ever played the game. Mathew took 131 innings to get to his 23rd test century. In over 103 test matches, this left-hander has scored 8625 runs. But talking about his test career cannot hold back without talking about his ruthless innings of 380 against Zimbabwe, which still is a record of being the highest individual score by an Australian cricketer. 4. Sachin Tendulkar (India) Sachin Tendulkar stands 4th position in the list with reaching 23 test centuries in 124 innings (Photo Source: AFP) The legend of the game and undoubtedly the best one to play this game, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar aka the Master Blaster is at no. 4 of this list for the quickest to 23 test tons. There is so much one can speak about this man, yet there are only a few words to describe him; mainly because a single bunch of metaphors are not enough to explain about the God. Having played 200 test matches, this Mumbaikar has scored 15921 runs with 51 times reaching a triple-digit score. He took just 124 innings to get to his 23rd ton. Over 34000 international runs and the first man on the planet to make 100 international centuries, Tendulkar played cricket and ruled it since 1989 for more than two decades. 3. Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan) Mohammad Yousuf stands 3rd position in the list with taking 122 innings to reach 23 test tons. (Photo Source: Getty Images) The 4th Christian cricketer to play for Pakistan Cricket team, Md. Yousuf stands at no. 3 of this list. An elegant right-handed batsman and one of the most unlucky cricketers, Yousuf was banned from international cricket by the PCB in 2010 due to some unrevealed reasons. This 40 years old man took 122 innings to score his 23rd test ton. Overall in his test career, he has played 90 tests and scored 7530 runs with 24 centuries and 33 half centuries, his best score being 223. After being involved in some issues with the PCB, he has not played domestic cricket since May 2011. 2. Sunil Gavaskar (India) Sunil Gavaskar stands 2nd position in the list with taking 110 innings to reach 23 test tons. (Photo Source: Getty Images) One of the greatest openers in test cricket, Sunil Manohar Gavaskar holds the 2nd position of this countdown. The first player to cross 10000 test runs and owning 34 test centuries, this man was not just a puppet of flat track wickets. Instead, he was an expert and probably one of the best players from the sub-continent to play on bouncy and pacey pitches. His greatness is marked by his top batting display against the Hunk-like West Indian pacers of 70s and 80s. Gavaskar took 110 innings to reach to this milestone of 23 test tons. Overall, he has played 125 test matches and scored 10122 runs with a top score of 236. Currently, he heads the Board of Cricket Control in India. 1. Don Bradman (Australia) Sir Don Bradman tops the list with playing just 59 innings to reach 23 test tons. (Photo Source: Getty Images) At the top of the list for being the quickest to 23 tons is none other than the Don of cricket, Sir Donald Bradman. Yes, he was and is a legend, but can anything that can describe his legacy? It’s probably not possible. But anyone can rememorize his legendary aura by the superficial number of 99.94 associated to him, his career average. In 52 test matches, scoring 6996 runs with 29 tons; he had the golden opportunity to take his average to 100.00 but unfortunately had to sum up his last innings for a duck, thereby ending with an untouched average of 99.94. He took just 59 innings to score his 23rd test ton to lead this list like a boss. A man beyond description and a man beyond normal cricketer; batting and batting records in cricket revolve around him even today. *All stats updated till 17th December 2014.