Table of Contents

English all-rounder Ben Stokes has missed the chance of fastest Test double hundred by 10 balls today. But, he has become the second fastest double hundred after Nathan Astle as he hit a 163 runs double hundred against South Africa in the second Test of the Basil D’Oliveria Trophy at Newlands on Sunday, CapeTown. Stokes completed his double hundred just before the lunch. He has also become the 21st cricketer to score 150 before the lunch.

Top Five Fastest Double Centurions in Test Cricket

Scoring the big daddy hundreds in test matches is far from an easy task. It requires hours of patience, concentration, and an excellent technique to grind it out in the middle, in order to get to a prestigious double ton. On the other hand, there are some genuinely gifted players who score at a serious jaw-dropping rate. Test cricket in some ways is indebted to these batsmen, for completely overhauling the image of the format by playing at a quick rate.

While one associates the terms, double ton and quick, only one name pops up in the mind. Virender Sehwag. The dashing and destructive former opener knew how to decode the big innings, but also knew the trick to scoring at an astonishing rate. It is no surprise that in the list of the top 5 quickest double centurions, Sehwag’s name features as many as 3 times in the list! That simply reflects the marauding abilities of a beast called Virender Sehwag. By playing such innings, Sehwag more often than not ensured victory for his side.

However, Sehwag is not the one to reach the 200 mark in the least number of deliveries. It is former New Zealand opener and legend Nathan Astle who tops the list of the quickest double-century. Astle was a treat to watch when he got going, and only few could match his style and class.

In a Test against England at Christchurch, Astle notched up his double ton in a record 153 balls. It was an inning filled with an array of strokes all along the carpet. Astle’s master class made the English bowlers look like mere club bowlers, and there simply seemed to be no other way to stop him. Till date, it remains the quickest double ton in the history of the game.

Second on the list is Virender Sehwag, as he got to his double ton in just 168 balls, during his knock of 293 against Sri Lanka. The Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai witnessed a serious mauling of the Sri Lankans from Sehwag’s merciless willow. Sehwag was simply unstoppable and no bowler was spared. Unfortunately for Sehwag, he was dismissed for 293, just 7 short of what would have been his third triple century!

Sehwag is on the third spot as well. This time, it’s his knock of 254 against a feared Pakistani bowling attack which gets him the spot. The former Indian opener got to his double century in just 182 balls. During his knock at Lahore, Sehwag and Rahul Dravid put on 410 for the first wicket, and agonizingly, missed out on the record by just a few runs. Nonetheless, it was just another episode of Sehwag’s sheer brilliance.

On the fourth spot is another Kiwi on the list. New Zealand’s skipper Brendon McCullum got to his 200 off just 186 deliveries against Pakistan in Sharjah, barely a year ago. McCullum played a mixed bag of an innings, with a few wild slogs combined with a few delightful strokes. McCullum achieved his motive as his knock turned out to be a match-winning affair for the Blackcaps.

Once again, it is Virender Sehwag who features in the list. The Nawab of Najafgarh got to his double ton in just 194 balls against South Africa in Chennai in early 2008. However, the carnage just didn’t end there as Sehwag went on to score the second triple ton of his career. His knock of 319 was simply breathtaking to say the least.

Top Five Fastest Double Hundreds in Test Cricket

Batsman	Balls taken	Against	Venue
Nathan Astle	153	England	Christchurch
Ben Stokes	163	South Africa	CapeTown
Virender Sehwag	168	Sri Lanka	Mumbai
Virender Sehwag	182	Pakistan	Lahore
Brendon McCullum	186	Pakistan	Sharjah