McCullum edges childhood idol to hit fastest Test century

Brendon McCullum scored the fastest Test match century on Saturday in Christchurch taking 54 balls to reach his 100. 

Brendon McCullum hit the fastest Test century in his last match before retiring from international cricket. Reuters/Dave Hunt

The mark eclipsed the 56 balls needed by McCullum's hero Viv Richards 30 years ago and Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq in 2014.

With the hosts fighting to save the series after losing the first Test, McCullum's aggression set his side up for a first innings total of 370. Australia were on 57-1 in reply at the end of the first day.

McCullum, 34, who will retire from international cricket at the end of the second Test, said that when he went into bat he felt that attack would be the best tactic. New Zealand were on 32-3 at that point. When he left, the scoreboard showed 253 for 5 following his defiant innings of 145 which he said had been tinged with luck.

"I knew it was with me from the second ball probably when I had an almighty, filthy slog and sort of managed to go over the slips cordon for four. When you're confronted with certain wickets and you know you're going to have to be pretty aggressive, you need some luck along the way."

He added: "It was great fun and it was also instrumental in us being able to, hopefully, set the Test match up for us."

McCullum admitted after his world record knock that he felt uncomfortable about dislodging Richards from the record books. "He was my idol growing up," he said. "I'm almost embarrassed to go past him to be honest but hopefully he enjoyed a little bit of the stroke making."

Richards, in his pomp for the West Indies, was renowned for his belligerence with the bat. Tales are still told throughout the islands of how Richards, Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes annihilated bowling attacks.

The troika would be proud of McCullum's couple of hours at the crease. There were 21 fours and four sixes in the innings with the first six setting a world record for total Test sixes, overtaking Australian Adam Gilchrist, who hit 100.

After the rampage came the compliments. "It was pretty amazing striking," said the Australia spinner Nathan Lyon. "He's been a credit to the game of cricket the way he's conducted himself for New Zealand for a long period of time and to see him come out there and do that was pretty amazing.

"He rode his luck and that's the way he's played cricket and I'm sure that's the way he will want to go down at the end of his career -- as a person who took the game on."