New Zealand's Martin Guptill struck 102 from just 38 balls as Worcestershire thrashed Northamptonshire by nine wickets in English county cricket's Twenty20 Blast.
New Zealand's Martin Guptill struck 102 from just 38 balls as Worcestershire thrashed Northamptonshire by nine wickets in English county cricket's Twenty20 Blast.
He took just 35 balls to reach the triple figures and by doing so, he struck England T20s' second fastest century after Andrew Symonds’s 34-ball century for Kent against Middlesex in 2004.
Set a targe of 188, visitors Worcestershire won with nearly seven overs to spare, with Joe Clarke making an unbeaten 61 off 33 balls. Clarke and Guptill put on 162 in 10 overs.
It did not take long for the experienced Guptill, who hit 12 fours and seven sixes, to get into his stride.
Watch Martin Guptill's 35-ball 100 here:
He got going in a Richard Gleeson over that cost 22 runs, a flick over midwicket for six, two hits down the ground for four and a flick wide of short-fine leg.
South Africa's Rory Kleinveldt replaced Gleeson and he too gave up an over costing 22 as Guptill went to fifty in 20 balls.
Guptill swept left-arm spinner Graeme White to deep-backward square leg, only for Seekkuge Prasanna to step over the boundary before a second slog-sweep cleared deep midwicket.
Later, he drove Prasanna over long-on for six and wide of long-off for four as Guptill went to 90 before Kyle Coetzer was straight driven for four and flicked over midwicket for six to bring up the batsman's century.
But trying to lift Gleeson over mid-on, he was well caught by Josh Cobb but by then the game was almost won.
Meanwhile, Guptil's century was also the joint-fourth fastest T20 century. The 30-ball effort from Chris Gayle for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in the IPL 2013 remains the quickest in T20 cricket.
India's Rishabh Pant scored a 32-ball ton for Delhi against Himachal Pradesh in the India’s domestic T20 competition, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, earlier this year, while Rohit Sharma, the South African David Miller and Namibia’s Louis van der Westhuzien are among the fastest centurions in Twenty20 Internationals.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Martin Guptill")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}