Top 10 fastest double centuries (200) in Test cricket

Virender Sehwag has scored three out of top 10 fastest double centuries in Test cricket.

Test cricket is known as the toughest format of the game because it takes a lot for a player to perform in conditions that are totally against him. Unlike the white-ball formats of the game, test cricket gives a player enough time to showcase his potential during the game.

Whenever we think of tests, we think of batters scoring hundreds and eating up so many balls to score those runs. But there have been some moments when some players went berserk and broke some records during their innings. We will talk about the fastest double centuries (200) in the longest form of the game. The fastest one came off just 153 balls.

Here are the fastest double centuries in Test cricket:

10. Ian Botham (220 balls) vs IND, 1982:

England’s legend Ian Botham held the record for the fastest double century in the longest format of the game between 1982 to 2002. He scored it off 220 balls against India at the Oval in July 1982. Botham made 208 off 226 balls, with 19 fours and four sixes. However, that game ended in a draw, but he won man of the match award for his superb knock.

9. Adam Gilchrist (212 balls) vs SA, 2002:

Adam Gilchrist had a strike rate of 81.95 in test cricket, which was pretty incredible. He was the one who broke Botham’s record in 2002. Gilchrist smashed a double hundred off 212 balls against South Africa in Johannesburg in February 2002. Gilchrist made 204 not out from 213 balls, with 19 fours and 8 sixes, and helped Australia win by an innings and 360 runs.

8. Herschelle Gibbs (211 balls) vs PAK, 2003:

South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs was known for scoring big hundreds at a rapid pace. Not many can forget the innings he played when South Africa chased down the highest ODI score of 438 runs. Gibbs also registered South Africa’s fastest test double hundred. He made it off 211 balls against Pakistan in Cape Town in January 2003. Gibbs made 228 off 240 balls, with 29 fours and six sixes, and helped his team win by an innings and 142 runs.

7. Ollie Pope (207 balls) vs IRE, 2023:

Ollie Pope is an upcoming superstar for England in tests. He has had a brilliant start to his career, and he is an important member of the “Bazball” approach for England. He smashed a 207-ball double hundred recently against Ireland in June 2023 at Lord’s. Pope made 205 off 208, which included 24 fours and one six. England won that game by ten wickets in the end.

6. Virender Sehwag (194 balls) vs SA, 2008:

Virender Sehwag has hit six double centuries in tests, and three of them have come under 200 balls. He scored the highest individual score in tests for India in Chennai against South Africa in March 2008, when he scored 319 runs. Sehwag reached his double century off just 194 balls in that innings. During his knock, he made 319 off 304 balls, with 42 balls and five sixes. In the process, he also smashed the fastest ever triple-century in tests, in just 28 balls. The match ended in a draw, but Sehwag won MOTM award.

5. Brendon McCullum (186 balls) vs PAK, 2014:

Brendon McCullum is the only Kiwi batter to score a triple ton in test cricket. He also hit the fastest double hundred for his country in the longest format of the game. It came against Pakistan in Sharjah in November 2014. McCullum smashed a 186-ball double hundred. He made 202 off 188 balls, with 21 fours and 11 sixes. His innings helped his team win the game by an innings and 80 runs.

4. Virender Sehwag (182 balls) vs PAK, 2006:

Virender Sehwag loved to score big hundreds in test cricket. One of his double hundred came against Pakistan in Lahore in January 2006. It came in a game that had only two innings during the course of the match. Pakistan declared the first innings at 679/7. Sehwag and Rahul Dravid added 410 runs for the first wicket in just 76.5 overs. Sehwag smashed a 186-ball double ton and made 254 off 247 balls, hitting 47 fours and one six.

3. Virender Sehwag (168 balls) vs SL, 2009:

Virender Sehwag is the only player with three scores of more than 290 in tests. His third-highest score of 293 runs came against Sri Lanka in December 2009 at Brabourne stadium. He scored a 168-ball double ton and made 293 off 254 balls, with 40 fours and seven sixes. Sehwag missed a well-deserved triple ton, but India won the game by an innings and 24 runs.

2. Ben Stokes (163 balls) vs SA, 2016:

Ben Stokes is one of the most impactful performers in modern-day cricket. He is a match-winner in all aspects of the game and can change the game’s situation at any point. Stokes smashed the second-fastest double hundred against South Africa in January 2016 off 163 balls. Stokes made 258 off 198 balls, hitting 30 fours and 11 sixes, and won the MOTM award.

1. Nathan Astle (153 balls) vs ENG, 2002:

The fastest double hundred in tests came in a losing cause. It is registered under the name of former Kiwi batter Nathan Astle. He scored it off 153 balls against England in Christchurch in 2002. Astle made 222 off 168 balls, which included 28 fours and 11 sixes, when New Zealand were chasing 550 runs. But they were dismissed for 451 and lost the game by 98 runs.

(All stats updated till 16th February, 2024)

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