Johnson Charles broke Chris Gayle’s record for the fastest T20I hundred by a West Indian batter in men’s T20Is during the series’ second match against South Africa at SuperSport Park on Sunday.
On his way to his hundred, Charles blasted the South African attack all around the park in just 39 balls. Charles hit his first T20I century, scoring 106 runs off boundaries in his ferocious knock. A Marco Jansen yorker eventually cleaned him up at 118.
Charles’ century is the second-fastest in the format and the fastest by a West Indian in T20Is, surpassing Gayle’s 47-ball century against England in the 2016 Men’s T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
South Africa’s David Miller, India captain Rohit Sharma, and Czech Republic’s Sudesh Wickramasekara hold the record for the fastest T20I hundred.
Overall, the 46-ball carnage from his bat helped West Indies to reach 258/5 in 20 overs, its highest total in the format. The score surpassed the previous-best score of 245/6 which came against India at Lauderhill, USA, in 2016.
Kyle Mayers was the second highest scorer for the side with 51 runs off 27 balls. West Indies are currently leading the three-game T20I series against South Africa by 1-0.