How often has a batsman scored 100 in a session, and why was it that the phrase "century before lunch" coined when there are three sessions? asks Supratik Ghosh Only four people have scored a century before lunch on the first day of a Test – Victor Trumper, Charlie Macartney and Don Bradman for Australia v England, and Majid Khan for Pakistan v New Zealand at Karachi in 1976-77. On 12 further occasions a batsman has scored a century before lunch on a day other than the first – the most recent was Inzamam-ul-Haq for Pakistan v Zimbabwe at Harare in November. We don't have a complete list of people who have made centuries in other sessions, because in many matches the lunch and tea totals aren't known. I imagine the interest in a century before lunch arose because it was easier to keep tabs on the score – and because a quick hundred on the first day of a game established an attacking tone for your side in the match.

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