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Quinton de Kock equals record for most centuries before the age of 22

Sri Lankan opener, Upul Tharanga also scored six tons under the age of 22.

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Quinton de Kock completed his sixth ton when he scored 107 off 128 balls in the fifth ODI against Australia played at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) last week © Getty Images (File Photo)
Quinton de Kock completed his sixth ton when he scored 107 off 128 balls in the fifth ODI against Australia played at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) last week © Getty Images (File Photo)

Quinton de Kock smacked his sixth ODI century against  Australia last week and equalled the a unique record with Upul Tharanga. Varun Arora looks at the statistics and finds out batsmen with most centuries before the age of 22.

Quinton de Kock has nurtured the uncanny habit of scoring tons. The 21-year-old, De Kock raced to his sixth One-Day International (ODI) ton only in a matter of 35 ODIs. It was not long ago when he made his international debut in early 2013, but he has cemented a regular spot in the South Africa team. He completed his sixth ton when he scored 107 off 128 balls in the fifth ODI against Australia played at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) last week. He carried on with ornate approach and decorated his ton with 14 boundaries. The striking feature of his batting was his exquisite footwork. With his ton at Sydney, de Kock also jumped to the career best seventh position in International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings. He was also awarded the Man of the Match Award for his special effort.

De Kock is also the fourth-highest scorer for South Africa in ODIs this year. Till now, he has amassed 741 runs from 19 matches with an average of 41.16. Hashim Amla is the highest scorer for South Africa followed by AB De Villiers and Faf Du Plessis. In the year 2014, de Kock has got two hundreds and four fifties.

Following is the list of batsmen 21 years of age or younger with most centuries in ODIs:

Name Team Period M I Ave SR 100s 50s
Quinton de Kock South Africa 2013-2014 35 35 43.58 88.4 6 4
Upul Tharanga Sri Lanka 2005-2007 40 37 37.56 75.3 6 5
Shahriar Nafees Bangladesh 2005-2007 47 47 35.48 69.6 4 7
Paul Stirling Ireland 2008-2012 38 38 39.13 96.2 4 6
Sachin Tendulkar India 1989-1995 97 94 36.98 81.2 4 21
Anamul Haque Bangladesh 2012-2014 24 22 35.63 70.4 3 2
Virat Kohli India 2008-2010 35 32 44.46 81.1 3 8
Salman Butt Pakistan 2004-2006 33 33 30.06 71.3 3 3
Tamim Iqbal Bangladesh 2007-2011 95 95 29.44 79.7 3 17
Ahmed Shehzad Pakistan 2009-2013 32 32 28.12 65.9 2 4
Dinesh Chandimal Sri Lanka 2010-2011 14 14 35.54 80.3 2 1
David Gower England 1978-1979 8 7 81 83.7 2 1
Ijaz Ahmed Pakistan 1986-1990 76 69 23.67 83.7 2 6
Inzamam-ul-Haq Pakistan 1991-1992 10 9 49.66 77.7 2 2
Mahela Jaywardena Sri Lanka 1998-1999 23 23 27 76.1 2 2
Irfan Karim Kenya 2011-2014 9 9 44 75.9 2 1
Ricky Ponting Australia 1995-1996 33 33 30.96 69.1 2 5
Suresh Raina India 2005-2008 55 46 34 82.9 2 8
Shahid Afridi Pakistan 1996-2002 142 138 24.55 99.5 2 19
Shakib Al Hasan Bangladesh 2006-2009 62 60 33.31 70.3 2 10
Shoaib Malik Pakistan 1999-2004 63 50 26.67 73.9 2 3
Kane Williamson New Zealand 2010-2012 29 27 34.6 75 2 3

Sri Lankan opener, Upul Tharanga also scored six tons under the age of 22. Tharanga was immaculate for Sri Lanka early in his career as he thrashed tonnes of runs. Surprisingly, de Kock is the only South African in this list. De Kock has a long career ahead and can go a fare margin for South Africa if he carries in this fashion.

(Varun Arora is a reporter with CricketCountry. He started as a medium-fast bowler, converted to an opening batsman but finally settled with his passion of writing about the game. His Twitter handle is @varunjgd)

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