Fastest Centuries in BBL History: Simmons and Owen’s 39-Ball Record

The fastest century in Big Bash League history took just 39 balls — and it has now been done twice. Craig Simmons set the record for Perth Scorchers in 2014, and it stood alone for nearly eleven years until Mitchell Owen matched it in the BBL|14 final in January 2025, playing the innings that delivered Hobart Hurricanes their first ever BBL title. Behind them, three more batters have reached a BBL century in 41 balls, including Glenn Maxwell on the night he scored the highest individual score the league has ever seen.

These figures are correct through the end of BBL|15 in January 2026, before the BBL 2026-27 season begins on 12 December 2026. In fifteen BBL seasons, 49 centuries have been scored — and the race to beat 39 balls is one of the great subplots of every new season.

Fastest Centuries in BBL History: Top 6

Rank	Batter	Balls to 100	Final Score	Match	Season
1=	Craig Simmons (Perth Scorchers)	39	102 off 41	vs Adelaide Strikers, Perth	2013–14
1=	Mitchell Owen (Hobart Hurricanes)	39	108 off 42	vs Sydney Thunder, Hobart (Final)	2024–25
3=	Glenn Maxwell (Melbourne Stars)	41	154* off 64	vs Hobart Hurricanes, Melbourne	2021–22
3=	Josh Brown (Brisbane Heat)	41	140 off 57	vs Adelaide Strikers, Gold Coast	2023–24
3=	Steve Smith (Sydney Sixers)	41	100 off 42	vs Sydney Thunder, Sydney	2025–26
6	Luke Wright (Melbourne Stars)	44	117 off 60	vs Hobart Hurricanes, Hobart	2011–12

Craig Simmons: The Record That Stood for Eleven Years

On 16 January 2014 at the WACA in Perth, Craig Simmons played the innings of his life. Opening for Perth Scorchers against Adelaide Strikers, he reached his century in just 39 balls, finishing on 102 off 41 balls with eight fours and eight sixes. The Scorchers posted 203/7 and held on to win by five runs, with Simmons named Player of the Match.

Simmons was not a global star — he was a domestic opener having the night of his career — which is part of why the innings is so beloved. His 39-ball record survived every great hitter the BBL produced for the next decade: Chris Gayle, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell and Alex Hales all came and went without beating it.

Mitchell Owen: Matching the Record in a Final

The only man to equal Simmons did it on the biggest stage possible. In the BBL|14 final on 27 January 2025 at Hobart, Mitchell Owen opened for Hobart Hurricanes against Sydney Thunder in a chase of 183 — and reached his century in 39 balls, finishing on 108 off 42 balls with six fours and eleven sixes. The Hurricanes won by seven wickets with more than five overs to spare, lifting their first BBL title.

Owen’s century is one of only two ever scored in a BBL final. The other belongs to Jake Weatherald, who scored a century for Adelaide Strikers in the 2017–18 final. Scoring a hundred in a final is rare enough; scoring the joint-fastest hundred in league history in a final is something else entirely.

The 41-Ball Trio: Maxwell, Brown and Smith

Three batters share second place on the fastest-centuries list at 41 balls, and each of their innings became famous for something else as well.

Glenn Maxwell’s 41-ball century came during his unbeaten 154 against Hobart Hurricanes at the MCG on 19 January 2022 — still the highest individual score in BBL history, with 22 fours and four sixes. His innings powered Melbourne Stars to 273/2, the highest team total the league has ever seen.

Josh Brown’s 41-ball century came in a knockout match: the BBL|13 Challenger on 22 January 2024, when his 140 off 57 balls for Brisbane Heat against Adelaide Strikers included 12 sixes, the most ever hit in a single BBL innings. Brown’s innings took Heat to the final, which they went on to win.

Steve Smith’s 41-ball century is the most recent of all, scored for Sydney Sixers against Sydney Thunder at the SCG on 16 January 2026. Smith hit five fours and nine sixes, four of them in succession in a single over, and finished on 100 off 42 balls as the Sixers chased down 190 with five wickets in hand.

Fastest Centuries and the Wider BBL Centuries Story

The fastest-centuries list sits inside a bigger story. The first century in BBL history was scored by David Warner for Sydney Thunder against Melbourne Stars at the MCG on 17 December 2011. Since then, 49 centuries have been scored across fifteen seasons, by batters from all eight franchises.

Steve Smith is the only player with four BBL centuries, which makes him the league’s most prolific century-maker even though his fastest ton ranks only joint-third. Only eight of the 49 centuries have been scored by overseas batters — two by Luke Wright and one each by Chris Gayle, Alex Hales, Colin Munro, James Vince, Tim Seifert and Finn Allen.

And only once have two centuries been scored in the same innings: Jack Wildermuth (110* off 54 balls) and Matt Renshaw (102 off 51 balls) did it together for Brisbane Heat against Perth Scorchers in December 2025, sharing a record 212-run partnership in the highest successful chase in BBL history, 258/2. For context on the league’s speed merchants, the fastest BBL fifty belongs to Chris Gayle, who reached it in just 12 balls for Melbourne Renegades in 2015–16.

For Indian fans following the new season, the BBL schedule 2026-27 shows when Owen, Brown and Smith play next — and the most runs in BBL history and most wickets in BBL history charts show the all-time records their innings are chasing.

Can Anyone Beat 39 Balls in BBL|16?

Thirty-nine balls has survived eleven years and hundreds of matches, but BBL|16 has the ingredients to threaten it. Mitchell Owen is still a Hurricane and still opening the batting. Josh Brown remains one of the most destructive hitters in the league. Steve Smith has just shown, at 36, that he can still reach a century in 41 balls. And the new season’s first match outside Australia, in Chennai, adds an unfamiliar venue where bowlers may take time to adjust.

If anyone does it, the record will fall to 38 balls or fewer — and this list will need updating on the night it happens.

Fastest Century in BBL History FAQs

Who scored the fastest century in BBL history?

Craig Simmons (Perth Scorchers, 2014) and Mitchell Owen (Hobart Hurricanes, 2025 final) share the record at 39 balls each.

What is the second-fastest century in BBL history?

41 balls, shared by Glenn Maxwell (2022), Josh Brown (2024) and Steve Smith (2026).

Has anyone scored a century in a BBL final?

Only two players: Jake Weatherald in the 2017–18 final and Mitchell Owen in the 2024–25 final.

How many centuries have been scored in BBL history?

49 centuries across fifteen seasons, from the first by David Warner in December 2011.

Who has scored the most BBL centuries?

Steve Smith, with four — the only player to reach four BBL centuries.