Memory lane: The best hundreds seen in ICC tournament Finals

By Phil Prior

Aiden Markram's century at Lord's will go down in the history books.

Not only will his innings sit proudly on one of the London venue's esteemed Honours Boards, he's also the first South African to reach three figures in an ICC Final. And wasn't his innings emphatic?

Let's take a quick tour of the ICC's event archives to see who else came up clutch in tournament deciders of the ICC Cricket World Cup and World Test Championship finals.

A look at these exceptional performances:

Aiden Markram, 136 (207 balls)

WTC Final, 2025 v Australia at Lord's, England

This epic knock won't be forgotten any time soon. Throughout his stay, Markram negotiated against Australia's famed bowling attack and barely gave them a chance.

Stroke by stroke, Markram turned the tide on an unlikely fourth innings chase and deflated Australia's hopes of defending the World Test Championship crown.

His knock included 14 boundaries over his stay. Markram's rock-solid defence slowly but surely took the spring out of the Australian bowlers' step.

Travis Head, 137 runs (120 balls)

CWC Final, 2023 v India at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, India

Travis Head is about as clutch as it gets. Twice in the same calendar year, he blasted huge hundreds in the ICC Finals that helped achieve wins for Australia. And on both occasions, it was against the might of India.

In front of over 90,000 spectators, Head took control and steered a successful run chase, as the Aussies won by six wickets with 42 balls to spare.

Travis Head, 163 runs (174 balls)

WTC Final, 2023 v India at The Oval, London, England

Head's knock, in the first innings of the Final, steered the Aussies into a dominant position against India. He scored 163 from just 174 deliveries, making batting at The Oval look very easy.

Head combined with Steve Smith, who also scored a century (121 runs), for a 285-run fourth wicket stand, coming to the crease with the Aussies at 76/3. That partnership helped set the Aussies up for a 209-run win.

Alyssa Healy, 170 runs (138 balls)

CWC Final, 2022 v England at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, New Zealand

In what's an undisputed contender for best-ever innings at a Cricket World Cup, Healy etched her place in cricketing folklore with a jaw-dropping 170 against rivals England, which capped off a mega tournament.

Australia set England an unreachable 357-run target after Healy dominated for 45 overs. She was well supported by Rachael Haynes (68 off 93) and Beth Mooney (62 off 47). Australia won the decider by 71 runs.

The knock was culmination of a successful tournament for the Australian, who finished with more than 500 runs in the event.

Adam Gilchrist, 149 runs (104 balls)

CWC Final, 2007 v Sri Lanka at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados

Australia's opener Adam Gilchrist took it to Sri Lanka from ball one, making things immediately difficult for Mahela Jayawardene's side.

The knock helped the Aussies to 281/4, which was always going to be too many in what was a rain-affected Final. Australia officially claimed the win by 53 runs (applying the Duckworth-Lewis Method), their third straight World Cup title, and Gilchrist was the clear choice for Player of the Match honours.

Karen Rolton, 107 runs (128 balls)*

CWC Final, 2005 v India at Centurion Park, Centurion, South Africa

The Aussies dominated in South Africa, claiming their fifth World Cup title off the back of a Karen Rolton masterclass.

Her unbeaten ton got the Aussies to 215/4 at the change of innings, which was more than plenty, as her side ran away victors by 98 runs against India.

Ricky Ponting, 140 runs (121 balls)*

CWC Final, 2003 v India at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa

Australia sealed a dominant 125-run win over India after producing a vehement performance with the willow in the first innings.

Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist helped set things up before Ponting (140* off 121) and Damien Martyn (88* off 84) went ballistic in South Africa's capital.

Australia's total of 359/2 was more than defendable, with Ponting understandably earning Player of the Match honours.

Aravinda de Silva, SL, 107 (124 balls)*

CWC Final, 1996 v Australia at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan

After Australia posted 241/7 from their 50 overs, Sri Lanka needed a hero to anchor the run chase. And up stepped de Silva, fresh off his exploits against India at Eden Gardens.

He came to the crease with his side in trouble at 23/2, and with the assistance of Asanka Gurusinha (65 off 99) at first and captain Arjuna Ranatunga later (47* off 37), the right-hander took the initiative, hitting 13 fours and dominating the strike.

Not only did he deliver with the bat, but de Silva also took team-best figures of 3/42 with the ball.

Viv Richards, 138 runs (157 balls)*

CWC Final, 1979 v England at Lord's, England

Two 100-run heroes in as many World Cup Finals for the West Indies, after Viv Richards followed up the work of Clive Lloyd in 1975. The cricketing powerhouse claimed the first two Men's Cricket World Cups, and their wins were powered by these two respective centurions.

Richards came in at 22/1 after Gordon Greenidge's dismissal and stuck right through unbeaten, watching eight wickets fall during his time at the crease, as his side posted 286/9. It was a match-winning knock by anyone's measure, as the Windies' fierce bowling attack had England fall 91 runs short.

Clive Lloyd, 102 runs (85 balls)

CWC Final, 1975 v Australia at Lord's, England

The West Indies claimed the first-ever Men's Cricket World Cup off the back of a classy display from captain Clive Lloyd. Coming in at five, Lloyd combined with Rohan Kanhai for a 149-run stand, where the captain scored 102 of those runs before being removed caught behind.

Lloyd's aggressive innings propelled the West Indies to a defendable total of 291/8, which they won by having the Aussies all out 17 runs shy of their target.

Enid Bakewell, 118 runs

CWC Final, 1973 v Australia at Edgbaston, Birmingham, England

In the first-ever World Cup, England's Enid Bakewell scored a century that, to this day, remains the second-highest score in a Women's Cricket World Cup Finals, behind only Alyssa Healy's knock in 2022 (170 runs).

It's one of just three tons scored in Women's World Cup deciders.

Opening the batting, Bakewell's innings ensured hosts England would be too tricky to run down, helping her side to 279/3. In response, the Aussies managed 187/9 and finished 92 runs short.