Ian Harvey strikes first-ever century in T20 cricket

There are very few sports other than cricket where records are created and broken seamlessly, a trend that is further spiked after the introduction of T20 cricket. Australian all-rounder Ian Harvey had left everyone awestruck after scoring a century in T20 cricket on June 23, 2003. 

While relentless power-hitting was the sole entertainment quotient during the introduction of the Twenty20 Cup in 2003, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had yet to envision a century coming in the shortest format of the game this quickly. The first official T20 match in country cricket was played on June 13, 2003, and Harvey hit a century just ten days later.

The Aussie had created the record while playing for the Gloucestershire Gladiators against an all-star Warwickshire team. Captained by Nick Knight, Warwickshire boasted top names like Jonathan Trott, Waqar Younis and more. Gloucestershire had to beat Warwickshire to reach the tournament's semi-finals, and it seemed challenging with Warwickshire's unbeaten record. But Gloucestershire did it in the most magnificent of ways. 

Opting to field first, the Gladiators struck early, with Jon Lewis taking out the skipper Knight and Dominic Ostler on consecutive deliveries to push the hosts on the back foot. Having recently made his debut for the England cricket team, Jonathan Trott was the only batsman looking comfortable at the crease.

#OnThisDay in 2003, Ian Harvey hit the first ever T20 century, for @Gloscricket v @WarwickshireCCC pic.twitter.com/Y7bU7VV6H6

— ICC (@ICC) June 22, 2016

Though Trott ended with 65 runs from 50 balls, having hit six boundaries and two maximums, his teammates repeatedly faltered. Apart from Trott, Trevor Penney (21), Collins Obuya (17), and Graham Wagg (15) were the only batsmen to reach double figures. What helped Warwickshire a bit was the 14 extra runs. However, they were still wrapped up for a subpar total of 134 runs.

While everyone expected an easy victory for Gloucestershire, no one expected them to chase down 135 runs within 14 overs. Ian Harvey opened the batting alongside Craig Spearman of New Zealand, and the latter had remained a spectator for most of his 23-run knock.

It was a Harvey show from start to finish. The batsman remained unbeaten on 100 runs that came in just 50 balls - a strike rate of 200. The right-handed batsman hit as many as 13 boundaries and four sixes, scoring an astounding 76 runs in just 17 balls. 

Not a single Warwickshire bowler was spared in the massacre, with Pakistan legend Waqar Younis getting hit for 29 runs in three overs. Harvey had finished the match in 13.1 overs, even with Jonty Rhodes faltering after scoring just one run.

Director of Gloucestershire club John Bracewell told Gazette, "I got a fair bit of stick for bringing Ian to the Club in 1999, but Gloucestershire's cricket results have blossomed. There is no doubt that Ian is one of the most exciting cricketers on the County circuit, and this has not only been proven on the park and tested in the marketplace."

Surprisingly, Harvey could never make it big in international cricket despite having a knack for frequently sending the ball out of the park. He could never get into the T20 international team of Australia, and his ODI career was forgettable. He had no century or half-century in the 73 ODIs he played, although he had 85 wickets in as many ODIs.