Johnson Charles produced a stunning performance to break Chris Gayle’s record for the fastest T20I century by a West Indies batter, taking just 39 balls to reach the milestone. Charles’ blistering innings led West Indies to their highest T20I total ever, as they posted a massive 258/5 against South Africa in the second T20I at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Sunday.
In his incredible knock, Charles smashed 11 sixes and 10 fours, scoring 118 runs off just 46 balls. His century eclipsed Gayle’s previous record of a 47-ball hundred sets against England during the 2016 T20 World Cup in Mumbai. Charles now stands as the joint third-fastest centurion in T20I history, alongside Romania’s Sivakumar Periyalwar and Hungary’s Zeeshan Kukikhel. The record for the fastest T20I hundred is jointly held by India’s Rohit Sharma, South Africa’s David Miller, and the Czech Republic’s Sudesh Wickramasekara.
Charles’ fireworks were well-supported by Kyle Mayers, who scored a quickfire 51 off 27 balls. The duo put on a breathtaking 135-run partnership in just 58 balls for the second wicket. West Indies skipper Rovman Powell (28 off 19 balls) and Romario Shepherd (41 not out off 18 balls) added valuable runs to the total, setting a challenging target for South Africa.
With 22 maximums, West Indies equaled the record for most sixes in a single T20I inning, previously set by Afghanistan against Ireland in 2019. Charles’ 11 sixes also put him level with Chris Gayle and just one behind Evin Lewis, who smashed 12 maximums against India in 2017, for the most sixes in a T20I by a West Indies batter.
As the West Indies celebrated their highest total in the format, South Africa faced an uphill battle to chase down the mammoth score. Johnson Charles’ historic innings will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most remarkable feats in T20I cricket.