Cricket has grown in leaps and bounds ever since the time T20s came into being as previously there were only Tests and ODIs in existence. As of today, the sport demands the best players or batsmen to excel in all three formats, which means accumulating a truckload of runs. The innumerable amount of numbers in the form of runs comes along through the number of centuries.
The addition of the third format in T20Is has not only added a positive aspect to the game but also an extra pressure and responsibility on the athletes. Over the years, plenty of batsmen have played all three versions of the game; however, only a handful of them have managed a ton in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.
We take a look at the list of batsmen who mustered at least one century in all three formats of the game:
1. Glenn Maxwell:
The swashbuckling Australian batsman is a short-format specialist and is tailormade for T20 cricket. Glenn Maxwell has become a consistent fixture in Australia’s T20 outfit, blessed with an ability to bat at the top and as a finisher. In the shortest format, Maxwell has three centuries, which is the joint-highest amount in T20 internationals.
The 31-year old made those three hundreds against Sri Lanka, England, and India. His highest score of 145 not out came against Sri Lanka, having batted at the top of the order. As far as, Tests and ODIs are concerned, Glenn Maxwell has one century each.
2. Rohit Sharma:
One of the classiest batsmen today, Rohit Sharma possess the natural ability helps him freely add runs to his belt. Rohit’s effortless strokes over all parts of the ground and his will with which he dispatches the ball over the boundary can leave anyone in awe.
The 33-year old has reached three figures in ODI cricket 29 times and on six occasions in Tests, including one double-hundred. Rohit Sharma is also the only batsman with multiple double tons in ODI cricket with a personal best of 264. As far as the shortest format is concerned, the Mumbai batsman has four tons, which is the most by any batsman.
3. David Warner:
The whirlwind opening batsman is another one from the Australian shores. David Warner has exemplary numbers in all three formats of the game, having burst into the international scene in 2009. The little dynamite scores faster than most batsmen in all three versions of the sport.
The 33-year old has crossed the three-figure mark in Tests on 24 occasions and 18 times in ODIs. The shortest format of the game has peculiarly witnessed only one century from Warner. The maiden century came in October 2019 against Sri Lanka.
4. Martin Guptill:
Martin Guptill is one of the cleanest strikers of the ball and has become the lynchpin of New Zealand’s white-ball setup. The technical deficiencies have constricted Guptill’s Test career to 47 Tests only. The right-handed batsman’s numbers are inferior to that of Tests, and ODIs, averaging 29.39 with three centuries.
The other two versions of the sports flag a better picture of his abilities. In 183 50-over fixtures, the 33-year old has 16 tons at 42.24 with 6843 runs. The shortest format has seen Martin Guptill hammer a couple of centuries in 88 games at an astounding strike rate of 134.61.
5. Brendon McCullum
Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum was one of the hardest hitters of the cricket ball. McCullum was widely known for putting the bowlers under pressure from the get-go. He inculcated the fearless demeanour among his teammates due to which the Kiwis became a highly competitive side.
As far as smashing centuries go, the 38-year old has a tally of 19 in all three formats. In Tests, he has the highest number of them with 13, including a triple-century against India in 2014. The ODIs and T20Is produced five and two hundreds respectively in a 14-year international career.
6. Ahmed Shehzad:
Ahmed Shehzad was one of the few batsmen, who possesses immense talent; however, hardly commits to nurturing it. Having made his international appearance in 2009, the 28-year old Shehzad is still fighting to cement his spot in Pakistan’s line-up. Even as Ahmed Shehzad kept putting strong performances in the domestic circuit, discipline and fitness issues impaired his selection.
Nevertheless, his century tally amounts to ten in total, with six of them coming in 50-over cricket. Shehzad has reached the three-figure mark thrice in Tests and once in ODIs. He is also the only batsman from Pakistan to achieve this feat.
7. Faf Du Plessis
Faf Du Plessis has become a mainstay for South Africa ever since his debut in 2010. One of the most underrated batsmen of the era, Du Plessis calm and composed approach on the crease has enabled him to score runs with ease. The 35-year old has a tally of 22 centuries in all three formats under his belt.
In 65 Tests, Faf Du Plessis has crossed the three-figure mark on nine occasions with his first one coming in his debut. The ODIs and T20Is have witnessed the former Proteas’ captain managing 12 and one respectively. Unfortunately, Du Plessis’ only hundred in T20 internationals resulted in a losing cause.
8. Chris Gayle:
Chris Gayle needs no introduction, especially to limited-overs cricket. The left-handed batsman is a powerhouse and a complete package, blessed with a force and strength to put the ball over the ropes easily. Gayle pounces upon anything that is back of a length as he always does to the new-ball bowlers.
The 40-year old has a whopping 32 international centuries, having made his debut back in 1999. The bulk of those came in ODIs with 25 of them while the Jamaican plundered 15 in the longest version, including his personal best of 333. In T20Is, Gayle has two centuries with one resulting in a winning effort while the other in a losing cause.
9. Mahela Jayawardene:
Mahela Jayawardene combined his masterful technique with plenty of finesse that oozed class all along with his illustrious career. Alongside Kumar Sangakkara, he triggered a transition of a new era during which Sri Lanka didn’t miss the likes of Arvinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga.
The former Sri Lankan captain’s 18-year career spanned across 149 Tests, 448 Tests and 55 T20Is. In 149 Tests, Jayawardene mustered 34 centuries while in ODIs, the 43-year old crossed the three-figure mark 19 times. T20 cricket, which wasn’t believed to suit his gameplay, also produced one hundred from the flamboyant batsman.
10. KL Rahul:
KL Rahul is the second Indian batsman to make the list of scoring centuries in all three formats. In his very brief career, the 28-year old has amassed 11 international centuries across three versions. While KL Rahul existed in the fringes in the initial days, he has presently cemented his India’s limited-overs setup.
The Karnataka batsman scored one of his first four ODI centuries on his debut. In 36 Tests, KL Rahul has five tons with a high score of 199 against England in Chennai in 2016. In 41 T20Is, the right-handed keeper-batsman has two victories, only one of which ended up in a winning cause.
11. Suresh Raina:
Suresh Raina was once the quintessential finisher as touted by the Indian team. The left-handed batsman is immensely skilled and can play very well according to the match situation. The shortest format is undoubtedly Suresh Raina’s strongest suit even though he managed a century in his Test debut.
The Test century against Sri Lanka in his first appearance in 2010 was also his only three-figure score in 18 fixtures. The 78 T20Is produced one century the same year in the ICC World T20 against South Africa while a tally of five hundreds were mustered in 226 ODIs.
12. Tillakaratne Dilshan:
Tillakaratne Dilshan’s career transformed dramatically for the better after he started opening the innings in 2008. Before that, the 43-year old was a lower middle-order batsman with plenty of potentials but left unrecognized. Across formats, Dilshan hammered 39 tons with 22 of them coming in ODIs.
Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 21 out of 22 hundreds in 50-over cricket came while at the top of the order while the remaining one arrived at number five. The 87 Tests saw the Kalutara-born muster 16 tons while the lone century came in T20Is. All his Test and the one T20I tons came while batting at the top. It was also in the shortest format that Dilshan invented the famous shot ‘Dilscoop’.
13. Shane Watson:
Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson is the third from the nation to make it to this list. A powerful right-handed batsman, Watson’s career was also similar to that of Dilshan. Shane Watson’s ascendancy to becoming Australia’s premier all-rounder came after his superlative show in the IPL 2008. Before that, his career was marred by plenty of injuries.
Also, the great Australian team of the early 2000s till 2008 was a challenging one to break into. Nevertheless, Shane Watson grabbed the opportunities offered after that with both hands. The 190-ODI career produced nine centuries while 59 Tests yielded a tally of four. The Queensland batsman mustered only one century in T20Is which ended in a losing cause.
14. Kevin O’Brien:
Before becoming the first Test centurion for Ireland, Kevin O’Brien became a household name. The 2011 World Cup saw the Irishman stun the three-time finalists England by making his side chase down 329 successfully. Kevin O’Brien’s breezy knock of 113, including a 50-ball hundred, headlined the chase. It is one of his two centuries in a career so far of 145 ODIs.
Two years later, the 36-year old’s Test century came along in the nation’s Test debut against Pakistan. The right-handed batsman’s ton arrived at the second innings after the opposition enforced the follow-on. Although the 118 wasn’t enough to prevent a loss, accolades followed for his 217-ball vigil. A year later in October, Kevin O’Brien mustered 124 in 62 balls in a T20I against Hong Kong.
