Credit: ICC
On February 23, 2002, former Australia wicket-keeper batter Adam Gilchrist hit his maiden double hundred against South Africa in the first innings of the Johannesburg Test played from February 22 to February 24. It became the fastest double ton in Tests then as he surpassed England legend Sir Ian Botham’s record of the quickest double Test hundred which came against India at the iconic Oval in 1982. Botham struck his 200 in just 220 balls, while Gilchrist completed his double century in just 212 balls. Against the Proteas’ formidable bowling unit, the southpaw looked undeterred on day two of the contest, and produced some exceptional strokes from his bat. His brilliance made pacers Allan Donald and Makhaya Ntini helpless.
His unbeaten 204-run knock included 27 boundaries (19 fours and eight maximums). Riding on his extraordinary knock, the Aussies posted a mammoth total of 652/7 on the board. Gilchrist’s innings shattered the hosts’ confidence as they got bundled out at a score of 159. Australia made the Mark Boucher-led pack bat again through a follow-on and this time, the home side’s condition worsened as they surrendered on 133, and handed the Aussies an innings and 360-run win. Gilchrist won the player of the match (POTM) award for his amazing batting show.
Nathan Astle shattered Adam Gilchrist’s batting feat after a few weeks
Adam Gilchrist kept the amazing batting feat for only a few weeks as former New Zealand batter Nathan Astle took England’s bowling attack to the cleaners in March 2002 in a Test match played in Christchurch, and scored a 200 in just 153 balls, which is still the quickest double Test hundred in the history of the longest format of the sport.
The Adam Gilchrist’s double hundred is currently the 10th on the list of fastest Test 200s. On the chart, illustrious figures such as Herschelle Gibbs, Virender Sehwag, Brendon McCullum, and Ben Stokes are there, and all these names are ahead of the former Aussie great.
