18th of January 2015 was a feast of centuries in One day international (ODI) Cricket. The game lovers saw some excellent batting skills from four different players around the World. In the South Africa- West Indies match at Johannesburg, Hashim Amla, Rilee Rossuw and AB De Villiers destroyed the West Indies attack. In another match between India and Australia played at Melbourne, Rohit Sharma played an attacking innings of 138 runs despite which the Indians posted a below par target of 267 which the Australians chased with 4 wickets left in the kitty.
Among them, AB de Villiers features at the top. He came in the 39th over of the South Africans innings and then tore apart the West Indies bowling into pieces. His batting was exceptional as he completed 50 runs in just 16 balls and then completed his century in 31 balls which broke the record of the fastest century which was previously held by Corey Anderson of New Zealand. His century was studded with 16 sixes and 9 fours. Because of his batting South Africa batting first piled up a huge score of 439. With three centuries SA set a big total to chase. West Indies found hard to chase and lost the match by 148 runs.
Rilee Rossouw, the opener, batted well for South Africa. He and Amla put together a huge partnership of 247 runs for the 1st wicket. Rilee Rossouw completed his half century in 61 balls and then took another 41 balls to complete the century. He played shots all round the wicket and did not allow the West Indies bowling attack to settle.
Hashim Amla, a solid opening order batsmen for South Africa, was a treat to watch. He played all shots which disturbed the line and length of the West Indies bowler. He completed his fifty off 58 balls. After completing his fifty he made sure that South Africa don’t slow down the scoring rate and he completed his century off 103 balls. His form in One day International cricket has been exceptional and he will be key man for the South African top-order.
Rohit Sharma, opener in ODIs for India, played a great knock of 138 runs. When wickets were falling at the other end, he steadied the innings and put an excellent partnership with Raina. Rohit Sharma completed his fifty in 68 balls. After completing his fifty, he played some great strokes to the pacers and spinners too. He completed his century in 109 balls. This performance is a good a sign for the Indian team ahead of the World Cup 2015.
The summaries of four centuries indicate that they centuries were scored out of 347 balls with an average run rate 1.15 run per ball. But the amazing part is the run rate of AB de Villiers whose run rate stands out at 3.23, almost triple of average.