Discover the batters with the highest number of centuries in a single calendar year in Test matches.
Most Test Centuries by a Player in a Calendar Year
| Player | Year | Inns | 100s | Inns/100 | 50s | Runs | HS | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Yousuf (PAK) | 2006 | 19 | 9 | 2.1 | 3 | 1788 | 202 | 99.33 |
| Viv Richards (WI) | 1976 | 19 | 7 | 2.7 | 5 | 1710 | 291 | 90 |
| Aravinda de Silva (SL) | 1997 | 19 | 7 | 2.7 | 2 | 1220 | 168 | 76.25 |
| Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 2006 | 18 | 7 | 2.6 | 4 | 1333 | 196 | 88.86 |
| Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 2010 | 23 | 7 | 3.3 | 5 | 1562 | 214 | 78.1 |
| Denis Compton (ENG) | 1947 | 15 | 6 | 2.5 | 3 | 1159 | 208 | 82.78 |
| Garry Sobers (WI) | 1958 | 13 | 6 | 2.2 | 3 | 1299 | 365* | 144.33 |
| Matthew Hayden (AUS) | 2002 | 17 | 6 | 2.8 | 3 | 1160 | 197 | 72.5 |
| Michael Vaughan (ENG) | 2002 | 26 | 6 | 4.3 | 2 | 1481 | 197 | 61.7 |
| Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 2003 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 1503 | 257 | 100.2 |
| Damien Martyn (AUS) | 2004 | 26 | 6 | 4.3 | 5 | 1353 | 161 | 56.37 |
| Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 2005 | 28 | 6 | 4.7 | 6 | 1544 | 207 | 67.13 |
| Graeme Smith (SA) | 2008 | 25 | 6 | 4.2 | 6 | 1656 | 232 | 72 |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL) | 2009 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1097 | 162 | 64.52 |
| Jacques Kallis (SA) | 2010 | 19 | 6 | 3.2 | 2 | 1198 | 201* | 79.86 |
| David Warner (AUS) | 2014 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1136 | 145 | 63.11 |
| Steve Smith (AUS) | 2015 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1474 | 215 | 73.7 |
| Steve Smith (AUS) | 2017 | 20 | 6 | 3.3 | 3 | 1305 | 239 | 76.76 |
| Joe Root (ENG) | 2021 | 29 | 6 | 4.8 | 4 | 1708 | 228 | 61 |
| Jonny Bairstow (ENG) | 2022 | 19 | 6 | 3.2 | 1 | 1061 | 162 | 66.31 |
| Joe Root (ENG) | 2024 | 31 | 6 | 5.2 | 5 | 1556 | 262 | 55.57 |
| Don Bradman (AUS) | 1931 | 9 | 5 | 1.8 | 0 | 950 | 226 | 105.55 |
| Don Bradman (AUS) | 1948 | 13 | 5 | 2.6 | 2 | 1025 | 201 | 113.88 |
| Everton Weekes (WI) | 1948 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 878 | 194 | 87.8 |
| Clyde Walcott (WI) | 1955 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 827 | 155 | 82.7 |
| KD Walters (AUS) | 1969 | 13 | 5 | 2.6 | 3 | 909 | 242 | 75.75 |
| Dennis Amiss (ENG) | 1974 | 22 | 5 | 4.4 | 3 | 1379 | 262* | 68.95 |
| Sunil Gavaskar (IND) | 1978 | 14 | 5 | 2.8 | 3 | 1099 | 205 | 91.58 |
| Gundappa Viswanath (IND) | 1979 | 26 | 5 | 5.2 | 6 | 1388 | 179 | 57.83 |
| Sunil Gavaskar (IND) | 1983 | 32 | 5 | 6.4 | 5 | 1310 | 236* | 46.78 |
| Allan Border (AUS) | 1986 | 19 | 5 | 3.8 | 3 | 1000 | 140 | 62.5 |
| Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 1999 | 19 | 5 | 3.8 | 4 | 1088 | 217 | 68 |
| Matthew Hayden (AUS) | 2001 | 25 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1391 | 203 | 63.22 |
| Rahul Dravid (IND) | 2002 | 26 | 5 | 5.2 | 5 | 1357 | 217 | 59 |
| Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 2002 | 16 | 5 | 3.2 | 2 | 1064 | 154 | 70.93 |
| Matthew Hayden (AUS) | 2003 | 21 | 5 | 4.2 | 3 | 1312 | 380 | 77.17 |
| Brian Lara (WI) | 2003 | 19 | 5 | 3.8 | 5 | 1344 | 209 | 74.66 |
| Jacques Kallis (SA) | 2004 | 21 | 5 | 4.2 | 7 | 1288 | 162 | 80.5 |
| Justin Langer (AUS) | 2004 | 27 | 5 | 5.4 | 4 | 1481 | 215 | 54.85 |
| Matthew Hayden (AUS) | 2005 | 29 | 5 | 5.8 | 4 | 1380 | 138 | 53.07 |
| Brian Lara (WI) | 2005 | 17 | 5 | 3.4 | 0 | 1110 | 226 | 65.29 |
| Mahela Jayawardene (SL) | 2007 | 11 | 5 | 2.2 | 1 | 982 | 213* | 98.2 |
| Jacques Kallis (SA) | 2007 | 17 | 5 | 3.4 | 6 | 1210 | 186 | 86.42 |
| Kevin Pietersen (ENG) | 2008 | 20 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1015 | 152 | 50.75 |
| Hashim Amla (SA) | 2010 | 19 | 5 | 3.8 | 4 | 1249 | 253* | 78.06 |
| Alastair Cook (ENG) | 2010 | 24 | 5 | 4.8 | 4 | 1287 | 235* | 58.5 |
| Virender Sehwag (IND) | 2010 | 25 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 1422 | 173 | 61.82 |
| Ian Bell (ENG) | 2011 | 11 | 5 | 2.2 | 2 | 950 | 235 | 118.75 |
| Rahul Dravid (IND) | 2011 | 23 | 5 | 4.6 | 4 | 1145 | 146* | 57.25 |
| Michael Clarke (AUS) | 2012 | 18 | 5 | 3.6 | 3 | 1595 | 329* | 106.33 |
| Steve Smith (AUS) | 2014 | 17 | 5 | 3.4 | 4 | 1146 | 192 | 81.85 |
| Younis Khan (PAK) | 2014 | 18 | 5 | 3.6 | 2 | 1064 | 213 | 66.5 |
| Kane Williamson (NZ) | 2015 | 16 | 5 | 3.2 | 4 | 1172 | 242* | 90.15 |
| Dean Elgar (SA) | 2017 | 21 | 5 | 4.2 | 4 | 1128 | 199 | 53.71 |
| Virat Kohli (IND) | 2017 | 16 | 5 | 3.2 | 1 | 1059 | 243 | 75.64 |
| Virat Kohli (IND) | 2018 | 24 | 5 | 4.8 | 5 | 1322 | 153 | 55.08 |
| Joe Root (ENG) | 2022 | 27 | 5 | 5.4 | 2 | 1098 | 176 | 45.75 |
| Kamindu Mendis (SL) | 2024 | 16 | 5 | 3.2 | 3 | 1049 | 182* | 74.92 |
| Shubman Gill (IND) | 2025 | 16 | 5 | 3.2 | 1 | 983 | 269 | 70.21 |
Key Insights
The year 2006 was a magical one for Mohammad Yousuf. His run-spree in that year included the record for most runs in Tests in a calendar year – 1788 and also the record for the most centuries in a calendar year in Tests – nine. His average that year was an impressive 99.33!
Ricky Ponting in that same year had hit seven Test centuries (Some year that was for Test Cricket). It included three double centuries too, which is the second-most 200s count in a single year. And way back in 1976, Vivian Richards had hit seven Test centuries too.
Two other legendary players, Aravinda De Silva during his prime time in 1997 and Sachin Tendulkar in 2010, also scored seven Test centuries.
Ponting and Matthew Hayden are the two batters to score five or more hundreds in four calendar years each. Heyden was the first to do so in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2005 and is the only one to do it in three consecutive years. Ponting levelled Hayden’s record with five-plus Test hundreds in 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006.
Notably, Don Bradman was the first batter to smash five Test centuries in a single year. The Australian great had hit five hundreds each in 1931 and 1948. Bradman’s insane Test cricket records include 29 Test centuries and 12 double hundreds.
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