100 Greatest Centuries (top ten)

What are the 100 greatest test centuries of all time?

Look no further.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/689777.html

This thread shows the top 10, with Gooch at no 1. A great knock that it was.

I generally disagree with everything cricinfo and Wisden do when it comes to lists. And I'm proud to say I continue to disagree. Didn't catch Gooch's knock so I can't comment, but the list looks ridiculous.

I was actually at Tresco's 180, re-watched it a few times now, beats KP's knock at Mumbai by a fair way. As does Clarke's 151 in Newlands. Smith's 154 was colossal, but the third greatest knock ever? I think Lara alone has about five knocks better than that.

I generally disagree with everything cricinfo and Wisden do when it comes to lists. And I'm proud to say I continue to disagree. Didn't catch Gooch's knock so I can't comment, but the list looks ridiculous.

I was actually at Tresco's 180, re-watched it a few times now, beats KP's knock at Mumbai by a fair way. As does Clarke's 151 in Newlands. Smith's 154 was colossal, but the third greatest knock ever? I think Lara alone has about five knocks better than that.

Lara and Bradman have five each in the top 100. Lara's double in the innings before that 153, was a belter as well. Not sure if it's in the 100? Should be.

Michael Clarke's 151 against us at Newlands is the greatest innings I've ever seen, simple as that. He comes in at 40/3, and then scores 151 of the next 240 runs on a green mamba in overcast conditions. To illustrate statistically - In the time Clarke was on the pitch, he scored 151 runs, while the rest of his team couldn't put together 100. In fact, outside of Clarke, the team went 6/93 during his time on the pitch. Clarke scored at a strike rate of 85.55, the average strike rate of his teammates wasn't even 50! That's without discussing the ridiculous 96 all out, and 47 all out 2nd & 3rd innings. Magnificent as that was, the story, quality, and majesty of Lara's 153 is simply otherworldly.

I haven't seen the Gooch knock, but here is scorecard for it: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63557.html

Innings scores of 198, 173, 252 (Gooch 154*, carrying his bat) and 162 against a West Indies attack including Ambrose, Walsh and Marshall suggests it deserves a lot of credit. The best ever, who is to say.

I'd imagine the system used to rank these innings disfavours the older knocks as it is near on impossible to determine what conditions the innings took place in and without video analysis to determine the quality of the bowling faced, they'll just have to go on names and records which will give some indication but will not tell the whole story.

Can't work out how Clarke's knock doesn't make the top 10, looking at some of ones on there. A green, green deck against an attack of Steyn, Morkel and Philander. I'm assuming the eae at which SA strolled home counts against it in their system?

Butch's 173* was a tremendous knock. My personal favourite form the ones on that list. The first innnings that I really remember watching and that got me into cricket. A truly superb knock against McGrath, Gillespie, Warne and (a young) Lee on a wearing pitch. The fact it was a dead rubber does slightly detract from it, but still an outrageous knock.

If Clarke was a 6'4 Englishman whose initials rhymed with Kray-Pree, I think he'd have snatched #1

The way knocks are ranked in there, I won't give it much of a thought beyond remembering Sir Brian Charles' 153 ones again.

An exercise that ranks Virender Sehwag's 293 higher than VVS Laxman's 281 has to be ludicrous!.

Johnson Charles's 100 against Australia in the 5th ODI. Simply because it is amazing a player that bad can accumulate that many runs