Gilbert Jessop’s 123-Year-Old Record Under Threat from Jamie Smith

Jamie Smith smashed an unbeaten 184 in the England-India series, scoring his century in just 80 balls — the fastest by an Englishman against India. But could he break Gilbert Jessop’s 123-year-old record?

Jamie Smith (Image Source: Google)

This England-India series has witnessed the phenomenal rise of Jamie Smith as a batsman. His performances have sparked discussions about playing him purely as a specialist batter and relieving him of wicketkeeping duties so he can focus entirely on his batting. His scores in the series so far — 40, 44*, 184*, 88, and 51 — are the kind any top-order batter would be proud of.

On Day Three of the second Test at Edgbaston, Smith was at his best. The 24-year-old smashed an unbeaten 184 — the highest score by an England wicketkeeper in Test history. So dominant was his innings that he even took 23 runs off a single over bowled by Prasidh Krishna.

He reached his century in just 80 balls, continuing the legacy of England's fastest centurion, Gilbert Jessop. At one stage during the knock, it even seemed like Smith might finally eclipse Jessop’s long-standing record. Jessop’s legendary effort came in the 1902 Oval Test against Australia, where, with England at 48/5, he blazed 104 out of 139 in just 75 minutes. The widely accepted record for that innings is a century off 76 balls — a benchmark that has stood unchallenged for over 120 years, despite the modern era of T20s and Bazball.

Among wicketkeepers, only Australia's Adam Gilchrist is ahead of Smith when it comes to the speed of a Test hundred. Smith’s 100 off 80 balls is now the fastest by an Englishman against India in Tests, surpassing Ben Duckett’s 88-ball century at Rajkot in February 2024.

Fastest Test Hundreds by England Cricketers

76 balls – Gilbert Jessop vs Australia, The Oval, 1902

74 balls – Jonny Bairstow vs New Zealand, Trent Bridge, 2022

77 balls – Harry Brook vs Pakistan, Rawalpindi, 2022

80 balls – Ben Stokes vs New Zealand, Lord’s, 2015

80 balls – Jamie Smith vs India, Edgbaston, 2025

Smith may not have broken Jessop’s record just yet, but the reality is that Jessop’s record may not be as rigid as it seems. In Chasing Jessop, a book by Simon Wilde, the century-long record is critically re-examined. According to Wilde’s research, Jessop may have been even faster than previously believed — a revelation that makes it even harder for modern batters to better it.

While no one is deliberately “chasing” Jessop’s record, his name inevitably comes up whenever an English batter starts scoring rapidly in a Test. Since that fateful Oval Test in 1902, England have played over 1,000 Tests, yet the record endures — despite the best efforts of Bairstow, Brook, and now Smith. Meanwhile, globally, the record for the fastest Test hundred in terms of balls faced belongs to Brendon McCullum, who reached his ton in just 54 balls for New Zealand in 2016.

According to historical records, Jessop's century came from 76 balls. But Wilde's research — an audit of the match scorecard and analysis from contemporary newspapers — suggests otherwise. At the time, the number of balls faced wasn’t officially recorded. A day after the match, a reporter’s ball-by-ball account detailed Jessop’s innings, forming the basis of the current 76-ball claim.

However, Wilde discovered another analysis in The Morning Leader, which indicated Jessop reached his hundred in just 71 balls. Further investigations across multiple newspapers helped him reconstruct the innings, concluding that the actual number of balls faced could have been between 72 and 74 — possibly even faster than what’s been acknowledged for over a century.

Jessop may eventually lose his statistical record, but he will always be remembered as one of the most remarkable hitters cricket has seen. Among his 53 centuries, five exceeded 200 runs — each achieved in astonishingly short timeframes:

286 out of 335 in 175 minutes for Gloucestershire vs Sussex, Brighton, 1903

240 out of 337 in 200 minutes for Gloucestershire vs Sussex, Bristol, 1907

234 out of 346 in 155 minutes for Gloucestershire vs Somerset, Bristol, 1905

233 out of 318 in 150 minutes for England XI vs Yorkshire, Lord’s, 1901

206 out of 317 in 150 minutes for Gloucestershire vs Nottinghamshire, Trent Bridge, 1904

Jessop played 18 Tests between 1899 and 1909. Upon his passing in 1955, the legendary Sir Jack Hobbs paid tribute, saying:

"He was undoubtedly the most consistently fast scorer I have seen. He was a big hitter, too, and it was difficult to bowl a ball from which he could not score. He made me glad that I was not a bowler. Gilbert Jessop certainly drew the crowds, even more than Bradman, I should say."