Chad Bowes’ blistering double century against Otago Volts in the domestic competition has etched his name into the record books as the fastest List A double centurion ever. The Canterbury Kings opener achieved the feat in a stunning 104 balls at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, surpassing the previous record held by Australia’s Travis Head and India’s Narayan Jagadeesan, who reached their double centuries in 114 balls.
Bowes’ double century is also the second such milestone in the tournament’s history after Central Stags’ Jamie How slammed 222 in 2012/13. The South Africa-born opener, who has represented New Zealand in six ODIs and 11 T20 matches, was playing his 100th List A match, making the occasion even more special.
While Bowes shone brightly, it appeared he was on a different wavelength compared to his Canterbury teammates, Mitch Hay and Zak Foulkes, who were recently selected for New Zealand’s white-ball series against Sri Lanka next month. Bowes dominated the Otago bowlers, blasting seven sixes and an astonishing 27 fours before being dismissed for 205 runs off 110 balls.
Bowes needed 53 balls to reach his first century of the season, which is one of the five fastest centuries (by balls) in the history of the competition (the record is held by Ross Taylor – 49 balls for Central Stags in 2021/22). His remarkable contribution led Canterbury to a total of 343/9 after they were put in to bat, with six players failing to reach double figures, and Foulkes being the next highest scorer with a score of 49 not out.
Bowes’ record-breaking performance may have been fueled by frustration over missing out on a spot in the New Zealand white-ball squad. However, he channeled that frustration into a historic innings that will be remembered for years to come.
