A century in cricket is a score of 100 or more runs made by a single batter in one innings. It is the sport’s headline individual milestone, a mark of a batter who has combined skill, patience, and concentration to dominate an innings. The term applies across all formats, from multi-day Test matches to the shortest Twenty20 games, though the pace and difficulty of reaching it vary widely.
How a century is counted
The century is simple arithmetic: when a batter’s personal tally in an innings reaches 100 runs, they have scored a century, often called a ton or a hundred. Those runs can come from boundaries, singles, twos, and threes, but not from extras such as wides or no-balls, which are credited to the team rather than the batter. The milestone belongs to the individual, and the batter’s score keeps building until they are out or the innings ends. So a century is a floor, not a ceiling; a batter can go on to make 120, 150, or far more within the same innings.
The family of milestones
Cricket recognizes several run milestones, each with its own name. A half-century marks 50 runs, a century marks 100, and larger scores earn grander titles.
| Milestone | Runs by one batter |
|---|---|
| Half-century (fifty) | 50 to 99 |
| Century (hundred / ton) | 100 to 199 |
| Double-century | 200 to 299 |
| Triple-century | 300 to 399 |
Once a batter passes 100, the fifty is no longer counted separately; the innings is described by its highest milestone. Double and triple centuries are progressively rarer and are almost always seen in longer formats, where a batter has the time to occupy the crease for hours.
Not out centuries
A century counts whether or not the batter is eventually dismissed. A batter who is still at the crease when the innings closes, and who has reached 100, has made a not out century. This is recorded with an asterisk on the scorecard and is regarded exactly as highly as a century that ends in a dismissal. What matters for the milestone is the number of runs scored, not how the innings finished. A batter who runs out of partners while unbeaten on a hundred has still achieved the feat in full.
Why centuries matter
Scoring a hundred usually means a batter has survived the bowling side’s best efforts for a long stretch and steered their team toward a strong total. Because reaching three figures demands avoiding every route to losing a wicket across dozens or hundreds of deliveries, a century reflects sustained control against pace and spin alike. It stands in stark contrast to the worst individual outcome, being dismissed for nought, known as a duck. Centuries are logged in career statistics, and the number of hundreds a batter compiles is a key measure of their standing in the game.
Centuries across the formats
The character of a century changes with the format. In Test cricket a hundred may be built patiently over several hours, prizing defense and shot selection. In one-day cricket the batter must balance survival with a healthy scoring rate. In Twenty20, a century is a whirlwind, reached in a small number of deliveries and requiring near-constant boundary hitting, often accelerating through the fielding-restricted powerplay. Understanding these differences is easier alongside the broader cricket formats, because the same milestone tests very different skills depending on how much time a batter is given.
Celebrated and recorded
Reaching a century is one of cricket’s great individual moments. Batters traditionally raise their bat and helmet to acknowledge teammates and the crowd, and commentators mark the milestone the instant the hundredth run is completed. Over a career, tallies of centuries, half-centuries, double-centuries, and the rare triple-century become a shorthand for a batter’s greatness. A handful of players have even reached a century of centuries, scoring 100 separate hundreds across their first-class and international careers, a benchmark of extraordinary longevity and consistency.
Partnerships and the road to a hundred
A century is rarely a solo effort in isolation. Batters build toward three figures with a partner at the other end, rotating the strike with singles and twos while punishing loose deliveries for boundaries. Good running between the wickets keeps the score moving and reduces the pressure that leads to rash shots, so partnerships and calling are as much a part of reaching a hundred as textbook stroke play. A batter approaching the milestone often slows briefly in the nineties, a well-known phase where nerves can creep in, before completing the run that takes them to 100. Converting starts into centuries, rather than getting out in the thirties or forties, is one of the traits that separates the most reliable batters.
In essence, the century is cricket’s round-number tribute to individual batting excellence. Whether compiled slowly in a Test or blazed in a T20, a hundred marks a batter who has, for one innings at least, mastered the contest between bat and ball.
Frequently asked questions
How many runs is a century in cricket?
A century is 100 runs or more scored by a single batter in one innings. The name comes from the Latin-rooted word for a hundred. A batter reaches the milestone the moment their personal score ticks over to 100.
What is a half-century?
A half-century, or fifty, is a score of 50 or more runs by a batter in an innings that has not yet reached 100. It is a recognized milestone in its own right and is often noted on scorecards and in commentary.
What are double and triple centuries?
A double-century is a score of 200 or more, and a triple-century is 300 or more, both by a single batter in one innings. They are far rarer than a century and are almost exclusively seen in longer formats such as first-class and Test cricket.
Does a not out century still count?
Yes. A century counts whether or not the batter is dismissed. A batter who finishes an innings unbeaten on 100 or more has scored a not out century, which is recorded and celebrated in exactly the same way as any other.
Is a century harder in Test or T20 cricket?
The challenge differs by format. Tests give batters more time but demand concentration over long periods, while T20 centuries require rapid scoring in very few deliveries. Each is prized, and comparing them depends on the balance of time versus tempo in that format.
What is a century of centuries?
A century of centuries means scoring 100 separate hundreds across a career, counting first-class and international innings. It is an extremely rare achievement reached by only a small number of batters in the history of the game.
