Any Test cricketer would want at least a century against his name, and a batter would consider it one of their most treasured personal achievements in the game. Converting them into a big score, or daddy hundreds, as one would call it, is an art in itself. This shows the batter’s penchant for scoring big runs and occupying the crease for a longer period of time.
These are the basic qualities of a batter, along with the technique and skills required to succeed at the biggest stage of cricket, that is Tests. Big runs mean scoring a double century, which more or less puts the team in the ascendency, and this is what a team will look for in an individual.
Some have shown their mettle in making high scores at a fairly young age, as we will see the top 10 young double centurions in Test cricket in this piece.
Youngest Double Centurions in Test Cricket
| Player | Score (Balls) | Against | Venue | Age (start of the match) | Match Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Javed Miandad (PAK) | 206 (-) | New Zealand | Karachi | 19y 140d | 30 Oct 1976 |
| George Headley (WI) | 223 (385) | England | Kingston | 20y 308d | 3 Apr 1930 |
| Vinod Kambli (IND) | 224 (411) | England | Wankhede | 21y 32d | 19 Feb 1993 |
| Gary Sobers (WI) | 365 (-) | Pakistan | Kingston | 21y 213d | 26 Feb 1958 |
| Graeme Smith (SA) | 200 (287) | Bangladesh | East London | 21y 259d | 18 Oct 2002 |
| Mahela Jayawardene (SL) | 242 (465) | India | Colombo (SSC) | 21y 273d | 24 Feb 1999 |
| Sunil Gavaskar (IND) | 220 (-) | West Indies | Port of Spain | 21y 277d | 13 Apr 1971 |
| Kraigg Brathwaite (WI) | 212 (447) | Bangladesh | Kingstown | 21y 278d | 5 Sep 2014 |
| Don Bradman (AUS) | 254 (376) | England | Lord’s | 21y 304d | 27 Jun 1930 |
| Jacques Rudolph (SA) | 222* (383) | Bangladesh | Chattogram | 21y 355d | 24 Apr 2003 |
Key Stats
3: Number of 200-plus scores amassed by Sir Don Bradman in Test cricket before turning 22. One of them is mentioned here, and it came at the age of 21 years and 304 days in the 1930/31 Ashes in England. While the other two 200+ scores (334 and 232) also came in the same series at Leeds and the Oval, respectively. In all, he scored 12 double tons — the most by any player — in the red-ball format.
2: India’s Vinod Kambli is the other batter to have scored more than 1 double century in Tests before turning 22. He scored 224 and 227 in successive Tests at one point in the 1993 Indian home season.
19y 140d: Javed Miandad is the only cricketer to have scored a Test double ton before turning 20. The Pakistani legend was only 19 when he made 206 against New Zealand in Karachi in 1976. This was the first of his six double centuries in Test cricket.
Also Read | Most Test Double Centuries by Teams
365: This is the best score for any batsman who has made his first double century. Gary Sobers converted his maiden double hundred into a triple century, scoring a massive 365* against Pakistan at Kingston, and he surpassed the great Len Hutton in the process. Hutton had made 364 for England in the 1938 Ashes game against England at the Oval, aged 22 years and 58 days.
1: Jacques Rudolph scored his maiden Test double century (222*), making him the 10th youngest Test double-centurion, and he achieved this in his debut Test innings against Bangladesh.
7: Mahela Jayawardene scored 7 double tons (4th most overall), and his first came at the age of 21 years and 273 days. Likewise, Graeme Smith of South Africa has 5 and Gavaskar has 4 double centuries in their respective Test careers.
