In cricket, a century is a score of 100 or more runs in a single innings by a batsman.[1] Scores of more than 200 runs are still statistically counted as a century, although these scores are referred to as double century (200–299 runs).[2] A double century is regarded as a landmark score for batsmen and a player's number of double centuries are generally recorded in their career statistics.[3] First-class cricket, the longest version of the game after Test cricket, involves two innings per side in a match and scheduled to last for up to three or more days.[4] An individual scoring a double century on his first-class debut is considered a notable achievement by critics.[5]
The first player to score a double century on first-class debut is English batsman Tom Marsden, who scored 227 runs in the second innings.[6] He achieved the feat on 26 July 1826, while playing for Sheffield & Leicester, against Nottingham during the 1826 English cricket season.[7] English batter David Sales made 210 runs in the third innings, while playing for Northamptonshire on 27 July 1996, against Worcestershire during the 1996 County Championship.[8] He did this at the age of 18 years 234 days, becoming the youngest player to score a double hundred on first-class debut,[9] and also in the County Championship.[10] Sakibul Gani of Bihar claimed the highest individual score in an innings on first-class debut till date, scoring 341 runs against Mizoram, on 18 February 2023, during the 2022–23 Ranji Trophy.[11] With this, he also became the first cricketer to hit a triple century on first-class debut.[12] Hanif Kunrai of Kunar Province scored 200 runs off 189 balls, recording the fastest double century in an innings on first-class debut.[13] He set the record on 17 February 2023, while playing against Kandahar Province, during the 2018–19 Mirwais Nika Provincial 3-Day.[14] The highest unbeaten score on first-class debut till date is 267, which has been achieved by Ajay Rohera of Madhya Pradesh in December 2018, against Hyderabad.[15] Indian batsman Gundappa Viswanath made 230 runs on his first-class debut, for Mysore against Andhra in the 1967–68 Ranji Trophy.[16] He also scored 137 runs on his Test debut, against Australia, on 20 November 1969.[17] With this, he became the first and only cricketer to score a double century on first-class debut as well as a century on Test debut.[18]
The feat has been accomplished by 25 players on 25 occasions as of December 2023. No batter has been able to score a double hundred in both innings on first-class debut so far. Mike Powell's score of 200* for Glamorgan against Oxford University, in June 1997, is the first and only instance of a player achieving the landmark on a losing cause.[19] 13 players from India have reached the milestone so far, the most for any country in the history.[20]
Key
Notation | Meaning |
* | The player remained not out |
Inn. | The innings of the match in which the player scored his century |
Date | The date on which the match began |
Team | The team the batsman was representing |
Opposition | The team the batsman was playing against |
Venue | The cricket ground where the match was played |
Result | Result for the team for which the double century was scored |
List
Cricketers who have scored a double century on first-class debut[19] No. | Batsman | Score | Inn. | Team | Opposition | Venue | Date | Result | Ref. |
1 | Tom Marsden | 227 | 2 | Sheffield & Leicester | Nottingham | Darnall New Ground, Sheffield | 24 July 1826 | Won | [21] |
2 | Norman Callaway | 207 | 2 | New South Wales | Queensland | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | 19 February 1915 | Won | [22] |
3 | Eric Marx | 240 | 1 | Transvaal | Griqualand West | Old Wanderers, Johannesburg | 16 December 1920 | Won | [23] |
4 | Arthur Maynard | 200* | 2 | Trinidad and Tobago | MCC | Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain | 15 January 1935 | Drawn | [24] |
5 | Sam Loxton | 232* | 1 | Victoria | Queensland | Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne | 19 December 1946 | Won | [25] |
6 | Hubert Doggart | 215* | 1 | Cambridge University | Lancashire | Fenner's, Cambridge | 1 May 1948 | Drawn | [26] |
7 | Jeffrey Hallebone | 202 | 1 | Victoria | Tasmania | Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne | 5 February 1952 | Drawn | [27] |
8 | Gundappa Viswanath | 230 | 1 | Mysore | Andhra | Police Parade Ground, Vijayawada | 11 November 1967 | Drawn | [28] |
9 | Amol Muzumdar | 260 | 1 | Bombay | Haryana | Nahar Singh Stadium, Faridabad | 12 February 1994 | Won | [29] |
10 | Anshuman Pandey | 209* | 1 | Madhya Pradesh | Uttar Pradesh | Jayanti Stadium, Bhilai | 13 January 1996 | Drawn | [30] |
11 | David Sales | 210* | 3 | Northamptonshire | Worcestershire | Chester Road North Ground, Kidderminster | 24 July 1996 | Drawn | [31] |
12 | Mike Powell | 200* | 1 | Glamorgan | Oxford University | University Parks, Oxford | 5 June 1997 | Lost | [32] |
13 | Manprit Juneja | 201 | 2 | Gujarat | Tamil Nadu | Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad | 13 December 2011 | Drawn | [33] |
14 | Jiwanjot Singh | 213 | 2 | Punjab | Hyderabad | Inderjit Singh Bindra Stadium, Mohali | 2 November 2012 | Won | [34] |
15 | Abhishek Gupta | 202 | 2 | Punjab | Himachal Pradesh | Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamshala | 6 October 2017 | Drawn | [35] |
16 | Bahir Shah | 256* | 1 | Speenghar Tigers | Amo Sharks | Ghazi Amanullah International Cricket Stadium, Jalalabad | 20 October 2017 | Won | [36] |
17 | Brad Schmulian | 203 | 2 | Central Districts | Northern Districts | Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui | 23 October 2017 | Drawn | [37] |
18 | Ajay Rohera | 267* | 2 | Madhya Pradesh | Hyderabad | Holkar Stadium, Indore | 6 December 2018 | Won | [38] |
19 | Mayank Raghav | 228 | 2 | Manipur | Nagaland | Nagaland Cricket Association Stadium, Sovima | 6 December 2018 | Won | [39] |
20 | Hanif Kunrai | 200* | 2 | Kunar Province | Kandahar Province | Kunar Cricket Ground, Asadabad | 15 February 2019 | Drawn | [40] |
21 | Arslan Khan | 233 | 2 | Chandigarh | Arunachal Pradesh | Sector 16 Stadium, Chandigarh | 9 December 2019 | Won | [41] |
22 | Sakibul Gani | 341 | 1 | Bihar | Mizoram | Jadavpur University Campus Ground, Kolkata | 17 February 2022 | Drawn | [42] |
23 | Pavan Shah | 219 | 1 | Maharashtra | Assam | Chaudhary Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium, Rohtak | 17 February 2022 | Won | [43] |
24 | Suved Parkar | 252 | 1 | Mumbai | Uttarakhand | Three Ovals KSCA Stadium, Bangalore | 6 June 2022 | Won | [44] |
25 | Jay Gohil | 227 | 2 | Saurashtra | Assam | Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati | 13 December 2022 | Drawn | [45] |
References
- ^ Williamson, Martin (17 April 2007). "A glossary of cricket terms". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 3 November 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2020. Refer to entry for ton.
- ^ Pervez, M.A. (2001). A Dictionary of Cricket. Universities Press. p. 15. ISBN 978-81-7370-184-9.
- ^ Thompson, Wright. "Chasing the century". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ "ICC Classification of Official Cricket" (PDF). International Cricket Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- ^ "Mumbai's Suved Parkar joins elite club with debut double hundred". The Hindu. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ "A look at the ten highest scores on first-class debut". The Roar. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Scorecard: Sheffield & Leicester v Nottingham". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ "County Championship: Northamptonshire batsman David Sales to retire". Sky Sports. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "First-Class Youngest Batter to Score a Double Hundred". Association of Cricket Statisticans and Historians. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Cricket: Sales of the centuries". The Independent. 31 July 1999. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Ranji Trophy: Bihar's Sakibul Gani enters record books after hitting triple ton on debut". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Ranji Trophy: Sakibul Gani becomes first batter to hit a triple century on his first-class debut". Scroll.in. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "First-Class Fastest Double Hundreds by Balls". Association of Cricket Statisticans and Historians. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "2nd Match, 15-17 February 2019, Mirwais Nika 3-Day 2018/19". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Highest individual score on first-class debut". SportsAdda. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Time Travel: A Ranji Trophy final, a Viswanath double ton and a flat tyre". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Gundappa Viswanath scores emphatic hundred on Test debut against Australia in 1969". Cricket Country. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Who scored a double-century on first-class debut and a hundred in his first Test?". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ a b "FC matches | Batting records | Double hundred on debut". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Jay Gohil: How his idol Cheteshwar Pujara's advice helped him turnaround a bad patch and slam a double century on first-class debut". The Indian Express. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "England Domestic Season 1826 at Sheffield, July 24 - 26, 1826 - Full Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
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- ^ "Cambridge University v Lancashire at Cambridge, 1-4 May 1948". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ "Victoria v Tasmania at Melbourne, 5-7 Feb 1952". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ "Andhra v Mysore at Vijayawada, 11-13 Nov 1967". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ "PQF2:Haryana v Bombay at Faridabad, 12-16 Feb 1994". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ "Madhya Pradesh v Uttar Pradesh at Bhilai, 13-16 Jan 1996". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
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