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Which batsmen scored the most memorable Test centuries in history?

Francis

State Vice-Captain
I'm hating that I put so many Australians in this list. But I must say they stood out to me.

9. VVX Laxman
Made perhaps the most memorable Test innings in Indian history, and saved a Test and Series that Australia thought they wrapped up.

8. Ricky Ponting

His 2005 3rd Ashes Test innings was the best innings of that decade for me. His 2003 World Cup final innings was amazing too.

7. Stan McCabe
Only made two infamous centuries - one in the bodyline series and another one a few years later which Bradman said was the best he ever saw. Both went into Australian folklore to much that McCabe is often rated, behind Bradman and Ponting, as Australia's best number three.

6. Wally Hammond
Eh... people don't remember them, and I wasn't alive them, but I read about them and they stand out to me. He scored over 900 runs in an Ashes Series against Australia. He sounds like the greatest wet-wicket player of all time. Bradman's average actually goes down a bit on wet pitches, whereas Hammond was apparently much better. His most famous innings was 32*... wow!

5. Gary Sobers
He made a then world record score of above 360+. He once hit six sixes in an over in domestic cricket. He made a courageous stand against Dennis Lillee playing for the World XI.

4. Steve Waugh

Rated higher than I wanted. But we all recall Waugh's double century against the Windies in 1995. He turned the 1997 Ashes back in favour for Australia with a gutsy innings. He scored a century in his last Test on English soil with a bad hamstring. He made that awesome century in the 1999 World Cup against SA, where Gibbs dropped him. And then there was his last ball century where everybody thought he was playing his last Test.

3. Sachin Tendulkar
I rate Tendulkar ahead of Lara, but Lara made more memorable centuries, IMO.

The innings that stand out to me are his ODI innings where he made 200*, his entire 1998 ODI series against England, and his innings in Perth around 1991.

2. Sir Donald Bradman
The innings that I guess stand out the most are from his 1930 tour to England where he scored his 254 (which he rated his best ever innings) and his 334 - his highest score. His last innings is the most famous Test innings in history... but for the wrong reasons. The centuries he scored in the series where he came back from illness, and Australia were 0-2 down before winning the Ashes 3-2, sound pretty amazing.

1. Brian Lara
Yep! I'm call it! Brian Lara made more amazing Test centuries for posterity than Sir Donald Bradman - but only because there's more Test cricket being played these days.

* We remember his 270+ in Sydney in 1992.
* We remember his purple patch of making six domestic cricket centuries in seven innings, plus his awesome 501*.
* We recall when he broke Sobers record for the most runs in a Test innings.
* We recall all his incredible innings in the 1999 series against Australia.
* We recall how he dismantled Murali in 2001.
* We recall his incredible 400* against England - a world record to never be beaten.
* We recall how he broke Border's record for most runs in a Test career in Adeline, by scoring an incredible double-century.

The thing is, I don't even have to think hard about these innings...
 

Daemon

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Completely agree on Lara. He wins this thread hands down imo.

Clarke could be a #10 potentially, but that's probably just because his crazy years are still fresh in my mind.
 
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Gnske

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Any of Steve Smith's from the last 18 months are infinitely better than the tripe Lara produced on flat decks against hacks.

Literally the only one of Lara's worth remembering is 153*.
 

vcs

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Pietersen definitely should be on this list, as well as Gilchrist.
 

Black_Warrior

Cricketer Of The Year
Brian Lara
Daylight
Kevin Pietersen
AB De Villiers (3-4 knocks, including the 150 at Perth)
Kumara Sangakkara
 

vcs

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Sehwag also has a very good case.

309 in Multan giving us an opportunity to win on an absolute flat track
Also a 293 against SL in India. Just the pace he scored those runs at gave us time to win those matches on flat wickets
The match-saving 150-odd at Adelaide on comeback in 2008
The 195 at the MCG
150-odd in Chennai 2004 against McGrath/Warne/Gillespie (still think we would have chased 200 on day 5 had it not been rained out)
201 at Galle when no one else had a clue against Murali/Mendis
83 against England in 2008 chasing 387, arguably one of the best sub-100 knocks ever in Test cricket
100 when Steyn destroyed India at Nagpur in 2010
 

watson

Banned
Ian Healy dropping Lara with just 7 runs needed for victory has to be the most infamous spill in modern cricket.
 
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harsh.ag

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I'm hating that I put so many Australians in this list. But I must say they stood out to me.

9. VVX Laxman
Made perhaps the most memorable Test innings in Indian history, and saved a Test and Series that Australia thought they wrapped up.
Very Very X-Rated
 

TheJediBrah

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The world began circa 1990? Even the creationists believe its at least 6000 years old.
Good point, however it's understandable that for Test Centuries to be "memorable" for people it helps if they occurred while they were watching/alive.

So not surprising that there would be a bias to recent performances.
 

mr_mister

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
All of Lara's in the '99 series were memorable, one because it was a double, one because it was that match winning 153 and one because it came off 82 balls


Add his 277, his 2 triples, Lara has to have the most 'memorable' tons
 

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