Habibur Rahman Smashes Bangladesh’s Fastest List ‘A’ Century

Habibur Rahman has broken the record for the fastest century by a Bangladeshi batsman in 50-over cricket. Playing for Legends of Rupganj against City Club in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) at the ULAB ground, the right-handed batsman reached his hundred off just 45 balls. This feat comes only six days after he equalled the record for the fastest fifty in Bangladeshi List ‘A’ cricket.

Record-Breaking Turn of Events

Prior to this match, the record for the fastest List ‘A’ century by a Bangladeshi was jointly held by Habibur himself and Mosaddek Hossain, both having scored tons off 49 balls. Habibur had previously achieved his 49-ball century during the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) in 2023. Mosaddek tied that record earlier this season while playing for Abahani Limited against the very same opponents, City Club. By reaching the milestone in 45 balls, Habibur now holds the record entirely on his own.

Despite the explosive conclusion, Habibur’s innings began cautiously. He managed to score only 6 runs from the first 9 deliveries he faced. His boundary account opened in the fourth over of the innings when he hit a four off the first ball bowled by Nihad-uz-Zaman, followed immediately by a six off the next delivery. An over later, when Nihad returned to bowl, Habibur dispatched him for 22 runs, racing to his half-century in 26 balls.

Post-Fifty Onslaught and Milestone Statistics

After crossing the 50-run mark, the right-hander accelerated dramatically. He required only 19 additional deliveries to score his next fifty runs, bringing up his historic century in 45 balls. Habibur was eventually dismissed for 130 runs off 58 balls, catching a delivery from Abdullah Al Mamun. His innings included 8 boundaries and 13 sixes.

With 13 sixes in a single innings, Habibur now holds the record for the second-highest number of sixes hit by a batsman in a Bangladeshi List ‘A’ match. The top spot remains with Soumya Sarkar, who struck 19 sixes during a Dhaka Premier League match in 2019.

This performance follows another notable display last week against Mohammedan Sporting Club, where Habibur smashed a 15-ball fifty. During that prior match, he hit 26 runs in a single over against Nahid Rana and 25 runs in an over against Taskin Ahmed.

Multi-Format Record Holder

Habibur’s knack for rapid scoring spans multiple formats. He also holds the record for the fastest Twenty20 century by a Bangladeshi player. Representing the Bangladesh ‘A’ team in the Rising Stars Asia Cup last year, he scored a century off 35 balls against Hong Kong China. This 35-ball hundred remains the fastest century by any Bangladeshi batsman across all formats of recognized cricket.