3 players who can break AB de Villiers’ record of the fastest ODI hundred

AB De Villiers, one of the most entertaining and successful batsmen of our generation, bid adieu to international cricket on Wednesday. The 34-year-old star batsman played 114 Tests, 228 ODIs, and 78 T20Is for South Africa.

De Villiers currently holds quite a few records in limited-overs cricket and one of them is the fastest 100 in ODIs. He blasted a century off just 31 balls against the Windies and broke the record set by Corey Anderson (36 balls).

It is one of those records which is really hard to break and only a handful of players are capable of doing it.

On that note, let’s take a look at the three players who can break ABD’s fastest ODI hundred.

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#1 Jos Buttler

Arguably the best limited-overs batsman from England and one of the most destructive batsmen in the world, Jos Buttler has been phenomenal for England in One Day Internationals and Twenty20I.

Butler holds the record for the fastest ODI hundred by an England player. He scored his hundred in 46 balls against Pakistan in 2015.

The 27-year-old displayed some brutal hitting on his way to a stunning 100. The Englishman has previously also scored a 61-ball hundred against Sri Lanka in 2014.

He has now scored the three fastest England centuries in ODIs. He has played a huge role in England’s meteorological rise in limited overs cricket and almost single-handedly took Rajasthan Royals to the playoffs in the Indian Premier League 2018.

He has a wide array of shots and great hitting abilities to challenge De Villiers’ record.

#2 Andre Russell

Russell could return to international cricket soon

Andre Russell is arguably the most destructive batsman in world cricket at the moment. The 30-year-old slammed the fastest hundred in the Carribean Premier League against Trinbago Knight Riders in 2016. He has also played quite a few brutal cameos in ODI and T20 cricket.

Russell has an ODI strike rate of 131 and a T20 strike rate of 166. He possesses a phenomenal six hitting ability; he has struck 267 sixes in 250 T20 games and 53 in his 51 ODI appearances. No ground in the world is big enough for this man from Jamaica.

Russell could make his much-awaited international comeback soon and will definitely play a huge role for West Indies in ODIs and T20Is. On his day, he can easily smash a hundred off 30 balls.

#3 Chris Lynn

Lynn could make Australia great again

The destructive batsman from Australia is a bowler's nightmare. Though he is yet to stamp his authority in international cricket, there is no doubting his hitting abilities. The Brisbane Heat star is touted to be the next big thing in Australian cricket.

He has played some stunning knocks in the Big Bash League and in the Indian Premier League. Lynn missed Australia’s one-day series against England earlier in the year because of an injury, but he could return to the ODI team after IPL 2018.

Lynn became the first man to hit 100 sixes in the BBL. His innings of 93 from 41 deliveries for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2017 took the Indian Premier League by storm.

Gautam Gambhir last year said, "I reckon (Lynn) is the hardest hitter of the ball at the moment in international cricket". He is only 28 and has all the time in the world to smash a quickfire hundred.