Australia’s David Warner became only the fifth batsman to hit a century before lunch on the opening day of a Test match.

The opening batsman achieved the feat in just 78 balls against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the third Test of the series on Tuesday.

Warner’s effort included 17 boundaries. He is the first batsman in over four decades to achieve the feat. It is also the first time that such a milestone has been been achieved on Australian soil.

Resuming after lunch, Warner was dismissed for 113.

This was the fourth such instance that Warner has scored a ton in fewer than 100 balls, and his third consecutive ton in Sydney and also his second fastest century. In 2011, he had scored a century against India at Perth in just 69 deliveries.

Victor Trumper, Charles Macartney, Don Bradman and Majid Khan are the only other batsmen to score a hundred in the first session of a Test match.

Centuries before lunch on Day 1 of a Test:

  • David Warner (Australia) v Pakistan in Sydney, 2017.
  • Majid Khan (Pakistan) v New Zealand in Karachi, 1976.
  • Donald Bradman (Australia) v England in Leeds, 1930.
  • Charles Macartney (Australia) v England in Leeds, 1926.
  • Victor Trumper (Australia) v England in Manchester, 1902.
Play
Charles Macartney of Australia scores a century in the first session of a Test against England at Leeds in 1926.

Incidentally, India’s Virender Sehwag is the only batsman to have reached triple figures earlier in a Test in the last 16 years.

In 2006 against the West Indies, Sehwag brought up a century in 25.3 overs into day one of the St Lucia Test.

However, unlike Warner, Sehwag narrowly missed completing the feat in the opening session, going into lunch on an unbeaten 99 off 75 balls.

Play
In the last two decades, only Virender Sehwag came close to completing a century before Lunch on Day One of a Test.

He completed his hundred immediately after coming back on to the field in the second session to achieve a rare feat of his own.

He eventually scored 180 runs off 190 balls.