In cricket, a century is an individual batter’s score of 100 or more runs in one innings. A half-century is 50 or more. The terms describe personal scoring milestones—not the batting team’s total—and the number of balls taken does not change either threshold.
Century vs. half-century: the run thresholds
| Milestone | Individual score in an innings | Common name |
|---|---|---|
| Half-century | 50 or more runs | Fifty |
| Century | 100 or more runs | Hundred or ton |
The threshold is a minimum, not an exact final score. An innings of 99 is not a century; one of 100 is. A batter who carries on from 50 to 100 reaches both milestones, though a score report will usually emphasize the century.
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Whose runs count toward the milestone?
The milestone belongs to one batter and is based on that batter’s individual score, not the team’s total. The ICC’s scoring conditions explain that runs may come from completed running, boundaries, or awarded penalties, and distinguish runs credited to the striker from extras and penalties. Some runs added to the team total therefore do not count toward a batter’s century or half-century. ICC Playing Conditions (see the applicable competition’s scoring provisions).
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Do format and balls faced change the definition?
No. A century means reaching 100 personal runs in an innings whether the batter takes many balls or scores quickly; balls faced describe pace, not the milestone. For example, the ICC reported that Kevin O’Brien crossed 100 after 50 balls during the 2011 Men’s Cricket World Cup. That historical example illustrates the distinction; it is not a claim about a current record. ICC: The Cricket World Cup in 100s.
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Are these formal playing conditions?
“Century” and “half-century” are conventional names for the 100- and 50-run individual milestones. Playing conditions set out how runs are scored and credited; the milestone terms describe what a batter has achieved. The cited scoring mechanics are in clause 18 of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 Playing Conditions. For a specific match, check the rules edition that applies to its competition. The ICC’s 1 October 2026 update says revisions apply to international series starting on or after that date, while ongoing series continue under earlier regulations; that timing does not change the ordinary meaning of these milestones.
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