ON THIS DAY
Follow UsWhat made Australia a formidable Test side in the late 1990s and early 2000s was their insane batting depth. After one sent the likes of Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh back to the pavilion, they still had to deal with Damien Martyn and Adam Gilchrist.
South Africa learned it the hard way on February 23, 2002, when hosting a star-studded Australian side in Johannesburg in the first of the three-match Test series. Despite the absence of veteran bowler and captain Shaun Pollock, stand-in skipper Mark Boucher had mouthwatering options of Allan Donald, Makhaya Ntini, Andre Nel and Jacques Kallis to turn to, apart from spinner Nicky Boje.
The four fast bowlers jointly had 1135 Test scalps and were more than capable of handling Australia’s strong batting order. However, after Justin Langer’s early dismissal, wickets didn’t come quick. And by the time captain Steve Waugh was dismissed by Kallis, the visitors were already 293/5.
The first day’s play ended with Australia sitting comfortably on 310/5 with the new ball already taken. Gilchrist and Martyn were on 21 and 25, respectively, with the crowd largely expecting a collapse in the first few sessions of Day 2. However, Australia’s hard-hitting wicket-keeper had other plans as he decided to take on the Proteas bowlers in the most ruthless manner possible.
None of the fearsome fast bowlers were spared as Gilchrist smashed 19 boundaries and eight sixes to tally 204 runs in 213 balls. Not only did Gilchrist bring up his fifth Test century but also managed to record the fastest Test double-century at that time. The southpaw’s double century in 212 balls eclipsed Ian Botham’s fastest double century record, which had come in 1982 in 220 balls.
Speaking after his historic innings, Gilchrist had said, “I haven't had too much time to reflect on what I did. It's a fantastic personal milestone, but the partnership was just as memorable. Damien and I were the beneficiaries of the great work of the top order that allowed us to play our natural games."
Describing Gilchrist’s brutal knock in Johannesburg, Wisden had stated, “Gilchrist was playing with them like a cat keeping a half-dead mouse alive for entertainment.”
Damien Martyn’s 133-run knock at a relatively slow strike rate of 64.25 was equally important as he held the mat steady for Gilchrist to finish off the game by the end of the first innings. Australia eventually declared at 652/7 in 146 overs, scoring at 4.46 runs an over, which was unheard of at that time.
Ntini, Kallis, Nel and Boje had all conceded over 100 runs each with Donald being the only exception. With the possibility of victory a foregone conclusion, South African batters faltered, with Australia’s four-pronged attack of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Shane Warne and Brett Lee dismantling the hosts for just 159 runs in less than 50 overs.
Things worsened as South Africa was forced a follow-on in the second innings. And McGrath’s five-wicket haul and Warne’s four-wicket haul saw South Africa wrap up even faster this time, for 133 runs in 38.3 overs. Australia eventually registered a mammoth win of an innings and 360 runs.
Remarkably, Gilchrist’s record was broken less than a month later by New Zealand’s Nathan Astle, who scored a double century in just 153 balls against England in Christchurch. While Astle remains the fastest double centurion to date, Gilchrist’s record has since been broken by Herschelle Gibbs, Brendon McCullum, Ben Stokes and Virender Sehwag (three times).
