https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/crick...-brendon-mccullum-down-a-notch-on-record-list
Just after 4pm on a test cricket Saturday at the Basin Reserve and Colin de Grandhomme's only involvement had been four overs of bowling.
Padded up at the tea interval, his shiny new Kookaburra bat unwrapped and ready to go, de Grandhomme wondered when he'd get a crack at these West Indies bowlers.
Barely 90 minutes later he headed for the exit waving that same bat, crowd rising and roaring on the hill after he blazed New Zealand's second-fastest test century, off 71 balls.
With first use of his shiny new bat, Colin de Grandhomme smashed the West Indies bowlers to all parts of the Basin Reserve.
It was the world's ninth-fastest test ton and the quickest against West Indies. He beat two blokes who could give a cricket ball a thump: Pakistan's Shahid Afridi and India's Virender Sehwag who both cracked 78-ball centuries against the men from the Caribbean.
Still atop the world list is former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum with his 54-ball blitz against Australia in his 2016 farewell test in Christchurch. But de Grandhomme, a man of few words who looked utterly bemused by what he'd done, pushed into second ahead of two more McCullum gems: 74 balls against Sri Lanka and 78 against Pakistan.
West Indies fast bowler Miguel Cummins says Colin de Grandhomme was hard to stop once he cut loose.
"Nah, he'll always be faster than me," de Grandhomme said of McCullum.
De Grandhomme, the 31-year-old Zimbabwean whose previous best in six tests was 57 against South Africa in March, strode out at the perfect time. New Zealand were 272-5, already leading by 138 and looking to bury the West Indies on a belter of a pitch after Ross Taylor scored 93.
"There wasn't any instructions: just do what I do. The boys did the hard work and made it a lot easier for me towards the back end," he said.
"It helps hitting a couple of boundaries early. But they were there to go so I had to put them away."
De Grandhomme belted his second and third deliveries from West Indies seamer Miguel Cummins to the picket fence. They were short and got the treatment, as the contact with his new willow echoed around like a rifle shot. Not since Chris Cairns, who sent both Brett Lee and Shane Warne out of the park in 2000 had a New Zealand batsman belted it like this in a Basin test.
His first half-century took 44 balls, the second just 27 as he opened the shoulders for 11 fours and three sixes. He edged for four to bring up 99 then guided the next one to deep point to raise his ton. He was caught at long on for 105 off 74.
"Today it felt pretty good. I got a couple of new Kookaburras [bats] and they're going well. First game for this one."
De Grandhomme peppered nearby buildings at the Basin before, but never like this. In 2011 he crashed one through the Cricket Museum window and a new ball had to be found as the curator had locked up. In 2013 he was stranded 99 not out for Auckland when the tail collapsed.
"The bowlers let me down on that last one," he said with a laugh.
New Zealand start day three of the first test completely dominant at 447-9, a lead of 313. Debut wicketkeeper Tom Blundell looked just as nonchalant as de Grandhomme in his 57 not out as the pair plundered 148 off 24.4 overs.
"We're in a great position. Our bowlers just keep running in, over after over."
The West Indies bowlers were weary and frustrated after their horror day at the office, where New Zealand smashed 362 and lost just seven wickets.
Cummins (2-74 off 24) said it was some of the better hitting he'd seen. "Andre Russell hits the ball very hard, Chris Gayle hits the ball very hard. But he [de Grandhomme] is up there. He batted well today. We didn't execute our plan that well."
After being skittled for 134 in 45.4 overs, West Indies now need to bat for two days to save this one.
"The guys are really pumped up about batting again. They know where they fell down in the first innings and they're looking to make amends," Cummins said.
AT A GLANCE
Fastest test centuries for New Zealand (balls faced):
54: Brendon McCullum v Australia at Christchurch, Feb 2016
71: Colin de Grandhomme v West Indies at Wellington, Dec 2017
74: McCullum v Sri Lanka at Christchurch, Dec 2014
78: McCullum v Pakistan at Sharjah, Nov 2014
81: Ross Taylor v Australia at Hamilton, Mar 2010
