PORT ELIZABETH: South Africa's opener Hashim Amla has become the fastest batsman to reach 27 ODI hundreds in just 167 innings, breaking the record of India captain Virat Kohli, who had taken 169 innings to reach the mark.
Amla scored a magnificent ton in the first ODI against Pakistan but his unbeaten 108-run knock went in vain as the Sarfraz Ahmed’s team won the match by five-wickets at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Amla struck a magnificent 108* off 120 deliveries which included seven fours and one huge maximum. This was Amla’s 27th ODI ton and he has become the fastest to reach that milestone. While India skipper Virat Kohli slammed his 27th ODI ton in his 169th innings.
Amla’s century was his first in 15 months. It is also the first time ever that he has scored a century in a losing effort in ODI cricket. He is the fastest to reach 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000 and 7000 ODI runs and needs 196 runs in seven innings to become the fastest to 8000 runs.
Before Kohli, India's iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar held this record with 254 innings. Kohli had surpassed the batting legend with a century in the first ODI against England in January 2017 in Pune.