Tick, tock – time running out for these 5 century-less international batters

Jonhenry Wilson 20 Oct 2025

Will Pakistan's Babar Azam ever score another century in international cricket?

For any batsman reaching the three-figure mark is a key target.

As much as runs are the currency of batting, it is centuries that are deemed to be proof of staying power, mental fitness and application. It is one thing to accumulate runs; it is quite another to raise the bat to celebrate the century milestone.

With that in mind, which current batsmen have played the most innings, across all international formats, without managing a century? Let’s take a look.

1. Babar Azam (Pakistan): 74 innings

It may come as a surprise to see Babar Azam’s name at the top of this list. One of the most elegant and technically assured batsmen of the modern era, the former Pakistan captain has endured an unusually lean patch by his lofty standards.

Between late 2023 and now, Babar has played 74 innings across Tests, ODIs and T20Is without registering a century. For a player who once seemed to score them at will, averaging over 50 in all three formats, this has been a frustrating period.

He has passed fifty multiple times during this run, but has repeatedly fallen short of converting those starts into the big hundreds that used to define his game.

Pakistan will hope that the former ICC Player of the Year can rediscover his clinical finishing touch soon, as they build towards the next World Test Championship and the 2026 T20 World Cup.

2. Tanzid Hasan (Bangladesh): 65 innings

While he has yet to play a Test, Bangladesh opener Tanzid Hasan has established himself as a regular fixture at the top of the order in white-ball cricket, but that elusive maiden hundred continues to evade him.

A naturally aggressive left-hander, Tanzid often gets off to brisk starts, but tends to lose concentration once he’s set. He has several scores between 40 and 70 but has not yet been able to convert any of them into a defining innings.

At just 23, time is still very much on his side. Bangladesh’s selectors have shown faith in his potential, and given the volume of international cricket being played, it seems only a matter of time before he breaks through that psychological barrier.

A century or two would certainly do wonders for his average; he currently averages 20.66 in ODI cricket and 25.45 in T20s.

Also read: The 7 best openers ever to play for England in The Ashes – who’s No.1?

3. Jaker Ali (Bangladesh): 63 innings

Another Bangladeshi batsman on this list, Jaker Ali has been around the fringes of the national team for a few years now. He’s played in all three formats of international cricket where he is a middle-order player with solid technique and good temperament.

Ali has shown glimpses of his talent but has not yet managed to push on to triple figures. His highest Test cricket score is 91.

In a team often reliant on its senior batters, the need for players like Jaker to step up with substantial innings has grown.

His contributions have often been useful but fleeting, the kind of 30s and 40s that help steady an innings but don’t define it. If he can start converting those into centuries, Bangladesh’s middle order could take on a new level of reliability and depth.

4. Jos Buttler (England): 60 innings

It’s been a peculiar run for Jos Buttler, England’s former white-ball captain and one of the most explosive hitters of his generation.

Despite his reputation as a match-winner, Buttler’s last international century feels a long way back, and his recent record highlights a struggle to bat deep into innings.

The Englishman remains one of the most feared finishers in the world, but increasingly his cameos have lacked the longevity to produce three figures.

His 60 innings without a century reflect England’s broader inconsistency in limited-overs cricket since their 2022 T20 World Cup win.

For Buttler, the challenge is not about shot making, he remains supremely talented, but about pacing his innings to convert the kind of 70s and 80s that once came so easily.

He is perhaps disadvantaged by batting too far down the order, because as the fourth ranked T20I batsman in the world he failure to reach three figures can’t be about a lack of form.

5. Roston Chase (West Indies): 52 innings

Roston Chase has long been one of the West Indies’ most versatile cricketers, a reliable middle-order batsman, a handy off-spinner, and a leader by example. Yet, despite his value to the team, he too has endured a prolonged period without a hundred.

Chase’s early career promised much, he made five Test centuries in his first 30 matches, but since then, consistency has been his greatest obstacle.

The fact that West Indies cricket is also in a dark place hasn’t exactly aided his cause either. Across formats, he has repeatedly found himself getting starts without converting them.

Part of this can be attributed to the West Indies’ fluctuating team environment, with the side constantly rebuilding and rotating players. Chase remains a key figure, particularly in the Test and ODI setups, and his experience is invaluable.

But for both him and West Indian cricket, a big score is overdue.