Century in their 100th Test Match
LAST FRIDAY- February 5 – on the opening day of the first Test against India in Chennai, England captain Joe Root scorerd a century in his 100th Test Match innings – becoming only the ninth batsman to achieve this feat. Indeed, Root went on to hit a double century (218 in 377 balls) and no other batsman has done that when bringing up a century of Tests!
Here are details of the other eight batsmen who scored a century in their 100th Test Match – and two of them are Englishmen.
■ Colin Cowdrey of Kent, was the first-ever batsman to achieve this milestone, hitting 104 in the first innings of the third drawn Test of the 1968 Ashes series against Australia at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
■ Javed Miandad, the former Pakistan captain, became the second batsman to join the elite list when he scored 145 against India in Lahore in 1989. This Test also ended in a draw as Pakistan scored 699-5 in response to India's 509 all out. Miandad scored 23 Test tons during his career.
■ Gordon Greenidge, the former West Indies opener, was the third batsman to strike a century in his 100th Test appearance - amassing 149 against England at St John’s in Antigua & Barbuda in 1990
■ Alec Stewart, the second Englishman to claim a 100 in his 100th Test, did so against the West Indies at Old Trafford, Manchester in 2000. The wicket-keeper batsman struck 105 in double quick time.
■ Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, achieved the feat of hitting a 100 in his 100th Test against India in Bengaluru in 2005. He recorded a majestic 184 in his team’s first innings total of 570 but his fellow countryman Younis Khan was named ‘Man of the Match’ after scoring 267.
■ Ricky Ponting, the Australia legend, scored two centuries in his 100th Test Match against South Africa in Sydney in 2006 – and to this day remains as the only batsman to register two tons in his 100th Test.
■ Graeme Smith, the South African skipper, scored 131 against England in his 100th Test at London’s Kia Oval in 2012. This match, however, is best-remembered for Hashim Amla's brilliant unbeaten 311 for the Proteras.
■Amla subsequently followed his captain by scoring a century in his 100th Test against Sri Lanka at The Wanderers ground in Johannesburg in 2017. The bearded batsman hit 134 in the third match of the series as South Africa went on to win the game by an innings and 118 runs.
Question: Who will be the next batsman (the 10th overall) to score a century in his 100th Test Match? Those in line are India’s captain Virat Kholi and the Aussie Steve Smith.