Matt Prior century special

By MATT FORTUNE Updated: 19:22 EST, 6 January 2011

Where it all began...

England whacked their way to their highest score in Australia on day four in Sydney, thanks in part to Matt Prior's 118. Prior's century came in a quick-fire 109 balls. It was his fourth in Test cricket and the only one which has ended with him losing his wicket. His first hundred came in 2007 at Lords, where Prior top-scored with an unbeaten 126 against the West Indies. The match was drawn.

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Majestic: Matt Prior hits out on his way to scoring 118 against Australia

The two-year wait

He waited almost two years for his second, an impressive 131 not out against the same opposition in Trinidad. Both Paul Collingwood and Andrew Strauss outscored Prior but the match was again drawn. Prior then hit a magnificent 102 not out against Pakistan last summer at Trent Bridge. He was England's top scorer ahead of Graeme Swann, who mustered only 28. England still won by 354 runs.

Still Flowering

But Prior's achievements do not yet compare to those of his coach, Andy Flower. In his pomp, the Zimbabwean was brilliant with the bat, hitting 12 centuries and boasting the all-time best Test score for a wicketkeeper - 232 not out in India in 2000. Something to aim for, perhaps.

First up: Matt Prior celebrates after his maiden Test century against West Indies

But it wasn't England's fastest

The fastest century recorded by an Englishman against Australia was Gilbert Jessop more than 100 years ago. The Cambridge graduate took 76 deliveries to reach three figures during a Test match at The Oval in 1902. England trailed 2-0 in the series but won the fifth and final Test by one wicket. Jessop was the only man to reach a century in the Test, having come in at No 7, eventually falling on 104.

And don't forget Beefy

Having hit a series-saving and unbeaten 149 in the famous third Ashes Test at Headingley in 1981, Sir Ian Botham bettered himself two games later at Old Trafford. In Leeds, Botham had reached 100 in 87 deliveries but in the fifth Test in Manchester it took 86 balls. The victory at Old Trafford gave England a 3-1 lead heading into the drawn final Test at The Oval to complete the miraculous turnaround in the series that became 'Botham's Ashes'.