Centurion refers to the batsman that manages to accomplish a score of 100 runs or more during the innings. Keep in mind not to confuse centurion with century. The batsman or batswoman that was able to accomplish this score is called a centurion. The 100 scores are usually regarded as a landmark of the batsman career. The scores that the batter is able to make will be recorded and added up in the career statistics.
Achieving Centurion
To achieve the status of a being called a centurion, the batsman or batter needs to accomplish 100 runs or more in an inning. Achieving such a score is considered a major milestone for the batsman’s career. It takes determination and strength to be able to achieve such feat as not all other batters can get 100 runs in an inning. In fact, since the Test match debut opened there were only 106 batsmen that we’re able to accomplish in scoring a century in an inning. If thee batter only manage to score 50 runs, then it is referred to as half-century.
Origin of Centurion
Scoring a century became common during the 19th century. This was due to the difficulty of the batsman to hit the ball during pitches. The first recorded player that achieve centurion was John Minshull during a minor match between Duke Dorset’s Xi versus Wrotham. Minshull scored 107 runs for his team Duke Dorset’s Xi. This match took place in August 31, 1769. The second centurion was a top-class match in July 1775. John Small of Hampshire managed to score 136 runs.
Modern Centurion
Not all batsman or batter can score a century. However, with the pitches being more “batter-friendly”, it is achievable. The growing number of centurion, especially by international cricketers has reached around 116 cricketers. As of March 2020, the highest number of centurion in an inning for male cricket is Sachin Tendulkar who managed to get 51 centuries in a test match and 49 centuries in an ODI (One Day International) match. For women’s cricket, Meg Lanning managed to score 13 centuries for WODI (Women’s One Day International) match.
