On This Day January 1 2014: New Zealand's Corey Anderson scored 36 ball century against West Indies

On this day, January 1,2014: New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson scored the quickest century ever in international cricket off just 36 balls as New Zealand thrashed West Indies by 159 runs in a rain-affected One-Day International. New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum (33 off 11 balls) started the onslaught before Jesse Ryder (104), who completed his hundred in 46 balls, and Anderson added 191 runs for the fourth wicket.

Anderson was 95 not out after 35 balls, needing a six to break Afridi’s record and, though unaware of the fact, he slogged the next ball from spinner Nikita Miller out of the ground to break the world record. The New Zealand innings contained 22 sixes and 22 fours or 220 runs from boundaries. The Queenstown Events Centre witnessed

history being made.

Anderson remained unbeaten on 131 off 47 balls with 14 sixes and half a dozen fours to take New Zealand to a mammoth 283 for four wickets in their innings. In reply, West Indies could only manage 124-5 off their alloted overs. Shahid Afridi had scored a 37-ball hundred against Sri Lanka in 1996 and had remained the fastest across all formats of the international game before this knock from Corey Anderson.

Anderson said he was unaware of the record. “I didn’t have a clue actually. It’s not that I’d look it up and try and take it down. But it’s nice to have it,” he said.

Corey Anderson’s century surpassed the previous record held by Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi, who had scored a 37-ball century against Sri Lanka in 1996. However, Corey Anderson’s record stood for just over a year. On January 18, 2015, South Africa’s AB de Villiers broke the record by scoring a 31-ball century against the West Indies in Johannesburg.