By Edwin Seeraj

KYLE Mayers’ incredible double-century which propelled the West Indies to a stunning victory over Bangladesh in Chattogram last Sunday in the first Test of the current two-match series has invoked memories of the handful of instances when debutants excelled with a double-ton on debut.

Among the many entries engraved in the record books when the dust settled at the end of Mayers’ unbeaten 210 and becoming only the sixth player to compile a double on debut; only the sixth batsman to score a double-hundred in the fourth innings of a Test; just the second player to hit a double-century in the fourth innings of a Test in a winning cause; and registering the highest score by a debutant in the fourth innings of a Test match.

Today we take a look at the first five players who ‘Doubled-Up’.

A BATSMAN’S DREAM-A DEBUT DOUBLE

Whenever the glorious game of cricket is being played, particularly on the playfields of the twelve Test-playing nations, there is no doubt that numerous lads have dreamt of representing their countries at the highest level and excelling on their Test debut.

In 143 years of Test cricket, and with more than 2 400 Test matches played to date involving over 3 000 players, the world has seen and read about, those who had disastrous debuts, decent debuts and distinguished debuts.

Today’s column seeks to feature the five other men who stood tall in their first Test by fashioning double tons.

The first to do so was the Englishman Reginald Erskine ‘Tip’ Foster against the Australians in the Sydney Test of the 1903-04 series. The polished right-hander, batting at five in the order, compiled a carefully crafted 287 before he was last man out having put on 192 with Len Braund for the fifth wicket and 130 for the tenth with the legendary Wilfred Rhodes.

His innings spanned seven hours and was spiced with 37 fours. One hundred and twelve years after it still remains the highest individual score by a player on debut and the best by an Englishman in Australia.

Foster entered his maiden Test, at age 27, with creditable credentials having played for Worcestershire with a fair degree of success. However, it was at Oxford University that he made his early mark registering a high-quality 171 against Cambridge in 1900 and following up a few days later with twin hundreds (102 not out and 136) for Gentlemen against Players, at Lord’s.

With such a fantastic debut and being captain against South Africa in 1907 one would have thought that Foster would have played more than the miserly eight Tests that made up his career. A combination of business commitments and illness was responsible for his few appearances and he died in 1914 at age 37.

He was also a brilliant footballer, representing his country at the top level on six occasions, and still remains the only man to captain England in both Test cricket and football.

The world then had to wait for almost 70 years to witness another double-century on debut. The player, right-handed like Foster and an exquisite timer of the ball with shots all around the wicket was the West Indian Lawrence George Rowe.

Just prior to making his debut on his home ground, Sabina Park in Jamaica, against New Zealand in 1972, Rowe eased to a big hundred against Guyana in the Regional Shell Shield tournament and a classical 227 for his native Jamaica against the tourists at the scheduled First Test venue. Rich in form, the 23-year-old who had taken the place of batting ace Rohan Kanhai in the side was ready to show off his craft.

He entered the fray on the first day when the opener Joey Carew was dismissed at 78 and he proceeded to compile a huge second-wicket stand of 269 runs with the late Roy Fredericks whom he partnered to his own maiden Test century (163).

Rowe recorded a rich, cultured 214 in 427 minutes caressing the ball 19 times to the fence in front of ecstatic spectators. He had beaten the record of the highest score by a West Indian on debut set by his fellow Jamaican, the batting maestro of the 1930s, the late George ‘Atlas’ Headley who had made 176 against the English in Barbados in 1930.

It is unfortunate that injury, illness and loss of form curtailed Rowe’s career and he ended up playing only 30 Test matches in eight years. He was good enough to reach three figures on seven occasions including a fighting hundred against the rampant Australians at Brisbane in 1975-76 and undoubtedly the best of all, a supremely sublime and flawless triple-hundred against England in Barbados in 1974.

He also stroked an impeccable 175 for West Indies against Australia in Kerry Packer’s World Series cricket in 1979-80 but was omitted from the official West Indies squad to England for the 1980 summer tour due to injury.

Disillusioned that he was finding it difficult to force his way back into the team, Rowe turned his back on official West Indies cricket and led a ‘rebel’ team to South Africa, thus incurring the wrath of the region, especially his fellow Jamaicans who were in the forefront of the apartheid struggle.

Fifteen years later, the venue switched to Colombo in Sri Lanka when the home team took on the New Zealanders. Brendon Kuruppu became the first opener and wicketkeeper to make a double hundred in his first Test – a record he still has intact – even if it were a painstaking effort.

He opened the batting with the seasoned Roshan Mahanama and by the time the innings was closed at 397 for nine wickets declared, he had batted for a marathon 777 minutes (just under 13 hours), faced a whopping 548 deliveries and reached the boundary 24 times for an unbeaten 201- the slowest double hundred in first-class cricket. However, in fairness to Kuruppu, it was his maiden first-class century and he held the innings together as Ranjan Mudugalle’s 60 was the next best score.

Astonishingly, the record-holder only played three additional matches in his career – one against the Australians later in 1987 and two others against England in 1988 and 1991.

On a lighter note, Kuruppu (as batsman and wicketkeeper) on debut had the pads on for the duration of the match.

New Zealand, on the receiving end twice, turned the tables some twelve years later when, ironically, against the West Indies Matthew Sinclair duplicated Rowe’s effort (27 years earlier) when he stroked exactly 214 in his first Test at Wellington in 1999.

Brimful of confidence and batting at the pivotal number three position, he blossomed after a tentative start to dominate the innings. By the time he was bowled by pacer Reon King his team had taken a stranglehold on the game and were well on their way to completing an emphatic innings victory.

He was born in Australia but his mother moved to New Zealand after his father was killed in a car crash when he was only five. He possessed the fight and determination of the average Australian and in his first twelve Tests he recorded three centuries including two double tons as he averaged a commendable 52.55 runs per innings.

A sudden loss in form and confidence resulted in his inability to command a regular place in the team and his last 21 Tests produced a top-score of 76 and a paltry average of 20.87 each time be batted. Hia final game was in March 2010.

The fifth ‘doubler’ performed the feat for South Africa when they met Bangladesh at Chittagong in 2003-04.

Jacques Rudolph, batting at number three, shared a staggering 429-run partnership with Boeta Dippenaar (177 not out) taking the score from the insecurity of 41 for two to 470 for two wickets declared. The classy left-hander carved a superb, unbeaten 222 against the hapless Bangladeshi attack giving him great satisfaction over two incidents that caused him not to debut twice just a few months earlier.

In the early part of 2003 he debuted in what turned out to be an ‘Unofficial Test’ when South Africa and India met at Centurion Park at the height of the ‘Mike Denness Affair’.

Denness, as Match Referee, had reprimanded several Indian players in the previous Test and the Indian authorities had requested of the International Cricket Council (ICC) that he be replaced for the Centurion game. When the ICC stood its ground the game went on but without Denness and it was subsequently relegated to unofficial status.

Two months later, Rudolph was named in the team to face Australia at Sydney but the-then United Cricket Board (UCB) president, the late Percy Sonn, vetoed his selection on the grounds of racial discrimination based on South Africa’s quota system. He had to make way for Justin Ontong to play his first Test. For Rudolph the wait was not in vain.

After 35 Tests with five centuries and being in and out of the South African team, he opted to move to Yorkshire in January 2007 on a three-year Kolpak deal in order to develop his game. He then extended his contract to 2011 and there was talk about him turning out for England.

However, he returned home and dominated the domestic competitions earning himself a recall to national colours in the process.

He contested an additional 13 Tests and produced another hundred but when the Australians gave him a torrid time in 2012 he was omitted for good.

Now 18 years later, West Indian Kyle Mayers is number six!