Ibrahim Zadran Breaks Records with Sixth ODI Century, Surpasses Cricket Legends

ISLAMABAD: Ibrahim Zadran surpassed several cricketing legends with his century during Afghanistan’s clash against England in the 2025 Champions Trophy in Lahore on February 26.

Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bat first in this crucial must-win match. They were dealt an early blow by Jofra Archer’s triple-wicket opening spell, which also saw him break England’s record for the fastest player to 50 ODI wickets. By the 10th over, Afghanistan were struggling at 39-3, with Zadran holding firm alongside captain Hashmatullah Shahidi.

The pair put on 103 runs for the fourth wicket, stabilizing the innings before Shahidi was dismissed. Zadran, however, continued to play with increasing confidence, reaching his century in the 37th over by tapping Liam Livingstone for a single to the leg side.

First Afghanistan player with multiple ICC tournament hundreds

This century was Zadran’s sixth in ODIs and his second in an ICC event (World Cup, Champions Trophy, or T20 World Cup). He had previously scored one at the 2023 World Cup during the iconic match against Australia in Mumbai.

It also marked just the second hundred by an Afghanistan batter in a major ICC limited-overs tournament, with Zadran’s Mumbai century being the other.

At under 24 years old, Zadran has surpassed cricketing greats like Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, Chris Gayle, Mahela Jayawardene, and Yuvraj Singh on the list of most ODI hundreds before the age of 24. Virat Kohli tops the chart with an impressive 13 ODI hundreds before turning 24. Zadran’s opening partner, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, shares third place on the list with eight centuries.

Most men’s ODI hundreds aged 23 or less