A double century is a remarkable milestone in cricket. Batters grind hard on the crease to reach the magical figures in international and domestic cricket.
Batting in domestic cricket is slightly easier as compared to international, with the bowling standards being a notch lower than the highest level. That has worked in the batters’ favour as they raced off to double centuries in record balls.
Below you can check out the top 10 fastest double centuries in domestic cricket.
10. Ben Duckett: 123 Balls (2016)
Ben Duckett is the 10th on this list with his 123-ball double century. He smashed his maiden double hundred against Sri Lanka A in a tri-series involving England Lions and Pakistan A.
England Lions were batting first, with Duckett walking in at 58 for one. The left-hander stitched an unbeaten partnership of 367 runs with Daniel Bell-Drummond, making sure that his side didn’t lose any more wickets.
Duckett surpassed the 100-run mark in 75 balls and reached 200 off 123 balls. He remained not out 220 runs off 131 balls, smashing 29 fours and 6 sixes.
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9. Aneurin Donald: 123 Balls (2016)
Aneurin Donald has smashed the second-fastest double century in England’s County Championship. Representing Glamorgan, he racked up a double ton against Derbyshire in July 2016.
Glamorgan opted to bat first and were soon reduced to 96 for three. Then Donald came on the crease and stabilised his team’s innings.
He reached the first 100 runs in 80 balls before raising his double century in 123 balls. Donald fell for 234 but his knock later materialised in Glamorgan winning the match by four wickets.
8. Ravi Shastri: 123 Balls (1985)
Fans remember this knock by Ravi Shastri for two reasons. First, he smashed six sixes in six balls, and second, for its quickness.
It was a Ranji Trophy game between Bombay (now Mumbai) and Baroda at the Wankhede Stadium. The first innings of both teams were done, with Bombay taking a lead of 41 runs.
The hosts were out to bat again and were cruising comfortably at 201 for four when Shastri walked in. He formed a 52-run stand with Lalchand Rajput before putting up a 204-run partnership with Ghulam Parkar.
In the meantime, Shastri struck six sixes off Tilak Raj’s over and rounded up his double century in 123 balls.
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7. Tanmay Agarwal: 119 Balls (2024)
2024 started on a fiery note, as Tanmay Agarwal smacked the fastest double century by an Indian in first-class cricket. He achieved the record against Arunachal Pradesh during the 2023/24 Ranji Trophy plate match.
Arunachal Pradesh mustered 172 runs in the first innings. In response, Agarwal opened the innings for Hyderabad and bashed Arunachal’s bowlers around the ground.
He reached the 100-run mark in 80 balls before amplifying his attack to get his maiden double hundred in 119 balls. Agarwal further went on to record the fastest triple century in first-class cricket, off 147 deliveries.
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6. Travis Head: 117 Balls (2015)
Travis Head’s attacking batting is well-known in cricket. Just ask any Indian cricket fan!
Before his rise on the international stage, the left-hand batter showed a glimpse of his ruthless bashing in the 2015 One-Day Cup. The South Australian captain opened the innings in reply to Western Australia’s 351 target.
Despite losing two early wickets, Head provided a brisk start to his team. He also got the company of Callum Ferguson to build a 278-run third wicket stand.
Head raced off to his century in 74 balls before turning it into a double ton off 117 deliveries. His blitzkrieg helped South Australia ace the chase with six wickets to spare.
5. Narayan Jagadeesan: 114 Balls (2022)
The 2022/23 Vijay Hazare Trophy encounter between Arunachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu was a record-breaking affair. The match saw the fastest double ton by an Indian, the highest partnership, and the highest team total in List A cricket.
Tamil Nadu’s Narayan Jagadeesan smashed his way to a 114-ball double century. The opener completed his hundred from 76 balls, and in a span of 38 deliveries, he converted it into a double.
Jagadeesan continued toying with the below-par Arunachal bowling attack, crossing 250 in the next 10 balls. He got out on 277 in 141 balls, hammering 25 fours and 15 sixes.
Jagadeesan also built the highest opening partnership of 416 runs with Sai Sudharsan and also helped Tamil Nadu post the highest List A total of 506 runs.
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4. Travis Head: 114 Balls (2021)
Travis Head features again on this list, as he bettered his previous record to register the fastest double ton by an Australian batter. Leading South Australia against Queensland in the 2021/22 Mash One-Day Cup, Head displayed his aggressive batting.
The southpaw batter came to bat at No. 3 and played a captain’s knock. South Australia were 22 for one and then Head stitched a 244-run stand with Jake Weatherald for the second wicket.
Meanwhile, the left-hander crushed the hundred in 65 balls before he raised his double century in 114 balls, three fewer than his previous knock. Head’s innings helped South Australia post 391 runs and later win the game by 67 runs (D/L method).
3. Chad Bowes: 103 Balls (2024)
2024 has been a remarkable year for batters, with the conditions going in their favour. We got a fine example of this when Chad Bowes belted his double ton off 103 balls, making it the fastest in List A cricket.
The New Zealand opener was playing for Canterbury against Otago in the 2024 Ford Trophy. After being asked to bat first, Bowes opened the innings and started off the proceedings with four boundaries in the first over.
He continued the momentum despite losing his opening partner earlier, reaching his fifty in 26 balls before doubling the score in the next 27 balls. And within the next 50 deliveries, Bowes converted his century into a double. He fell for 205 off 110 balls, smacking 27 fours and 7 sixes.
2. Louis Kimber: 100 Balls (2024)
Leicestershire’s Louis Kimber brought out an all-out effort in Hove to bring up the second fastest double century in domestic and first-class cricket. The middle-order batter wielded his willow while trying to save his team from defeat against Sussex.
Leicestershire were chasing a target of 463 in a 2024 County Championship match, and they were reeling at 144 for six. Kimber then walked out and formed a 239-run stand for the eighth wicket with Oliver Cox.
He reached his hundred in 62 deliveries before hitting the accelerator hard to reach double hundred in the next 38 balls. Kimber took his side within the reach of the target, but eventually, he became the last victim, losing the match by 18 runs.
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1. Shafiqullah Shinwari: 89 Balls (2018)
Afghanistan’s Shafiqullah Shinwari holds the record for smashing the fastest double century in domestic cricket. What’s impressive about his knock is that it came in a first-class match.
It’s not quite often that we see batters pummeling runs at a higher strike rate in red-ball cricket. But Shinwari scripted history in style, leaving behind Shastri to hammer the fastest double ton in first-class cricket.
Playing for Kabul Region against Boost Region in the 2018 Ahmad Shah Abdali tournament, Shinwaro racked up his unbeaten double century off 89 balls. He raced away to his 50 in 29 balls, 100 in 52 balls, 150 in 67 balls, and finally 200 in 89 balls.
Shinwari remained not out on 200 in what turned out to be his last first-class match. His rampage lasted for 103 minutes, where he smashed 11 fours and 22 sixes.
