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In a sport known for glorious cover drives and nail-biting last overs, one story still feels like fiction: a batsman scoring a century in just 3 overs. If you’re a cricket nut and that line didn’t raise your heartbeat, read it again. Yes, 100 runs in 18 deliveries. And no, this isn’t a meme or a T20 fantasy, it’s the real deal. It happened. And the man who pulled it off? The one and only Sir Donald Bradman also known as Don Bradman.
Flashback to 1931: When Bradman Turned Time Into Dust
The date was 2nd November 1931. It was a small-town match in New South Wales, where Blackheath faced Lithgow. Representing Blackheath, Don Bradman produced a batting performance that was nothing short of extraordinary.
Here’s something important to understand: at that time, an over in Australian cricket consisted of eight balls, not six. So when we say Bradman scored a century in just three overs, it means he reached 100 runs in only 24 balls. That’s faster than anything we’ve seen even in today’s high-speed T20 cricket.
Here’s how the runs were scored:
- First over: 33 runs
- Second over: 40 runs
- Third over: 27 runs
- Total: 100 runs in just 18 minutes
According to those who watched it live, Bradman hit massive sixes and elegant drives. The crowd, initially relaxed, became wildly enthusiastic as the innings unfolded. His batting partner, Wendell Bill, smartly focused on giving Bradman most of the strike, helping him face more balls during the explosive innings.
Modern Cricket Has Tried—But No One’s Matched This
Let’s put this into today’s context. Ask yourself: Who scored a century in just 3 overs in T20? The answer is simple—no one.
Not Chris Gayle, not Suryakumar Yadav, not even AB de Villiers in his prime have touched this kind of hyper-speed century.
T20 legends have flirted with 30-ball tons (like de Villiers’ 31-ball century), but 18 balls for 100? That’s myth-tier. Even in unofficial or school-level matches, no such authentic feat has been verified. Bradman still sits alone on that impossible peak.
What We Know of the Scorecard
You won’t find this on Cricbuzz, but multiple sources and historians confirm the rough breakdown of that magical innings:
| Over # | Runs | Shot Summary |
| 1 | 33 | 3 sixes, 3 fours, 3 singles |
| 2 | 40 | 5 sixes, 2 fours, 1 two |
| 3 | 27 | 2 sixes, 3 fours, dot balls |
There were no helmets, no modern bats, no fielding restrictions. Just pure dominance.
Bradman Wasn’t Just Fast, He Was Consistent Beyond Belief
You might think this was a one-off storm. Think again. Bradman scored:
- 29 Test centuries in just 52 matches
- 117 First-Class centuries in 234 matches
- Test average: 99.94 (Let that number soak in)
This wasn’t a wild innings from a slogger. This was a habit. A pattern. An era dominated.
The 452* That Froze the Cricketing World
Before T20, before even ODIs, Bradman played the long game too. In 1930, playing for New South Wales, he scored an unbeaten 452 against Queensland. This was his highest first-class score and a world record at the time.
- 452* in 415 minutes
- 49 boundaries, zero gimmicks
- Withstood elite bowling for nearly 7 hours
From 3-over knockouts to 400+ masterclasses, Bradman could do it all. In today’s lingo: he was the ultimate all-format GOAT before formats even existed.
A Century That Time Still Can’t Catch
In the era of Powerplays, impact players, and strike rates, it’s easy to assume cricket's peak speed belongs to this generation. But Bradman's 100 in 3 overs is like finding out a World War I fighter jet somehow beat an F-16 in a race.
It matters because:
- It was done with no technology
- It hasn't been broken in nearly 100 years
- It was the result of pure skill, not short boundaries or flat pitches
It’s a reminder that greatness is not always bound by time. Sometimes, it's eternal.
Final Whistle: The Man, the Record, the Myth
So when you next Google “Who scored a century in just 3 overs?”, don’t expect a YouTube highlight or IPL stat. Expect history. Expect awe. Expect Bradman.
He wasn’t just a cricketer. He was the reason the sport has a benchmark. Whether it’s his 3-over hurricane, his 452 epic*, or his 99.94 average, he redefined what was possible with a bat.