Scoring centuries in each innings of a Test is not too rare. It has been done on 82 occasions. Three have achieved this in three Tests: Gavaskar, Ponting and Warner. And several others have done it twice. You can see the full list here:
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?class=1;filter=advanced;orderby=start;qualmin1=2;qualval1=hundreds;size=200;template=results;type=batting;view=match
The first to achieve this was Warren Bardsley in 1909, and the most recent was Shai Hope in his team’s unexpected victory at Leeds.
Bardsley and Hope are among the few who scored their first two centuries in the same Test. We look at these in more detail:
The 11 instances are listed above, along with some points of interest.
As mentioned above, Bardsley was the first to score two centuries in the same Test.
Moroney, Wasti, Yasir, Fulton and now Hope made their only two centuries in the same Test. And Hope is the only one who is likely to play more Tests.
Rowe and Yasir scored two centuries on debut. The latter never made any other centuries. Rowe was the third (after KD Walters in 1968-69 and SM Gavaskar in 1970-71) to score a century and double century in the same Test. Since then others have also achieved this, with Gooch and Sangakkara going further with a single and triple.
Hazare’s second century came in a follow-on.
Mendis’s twin 105s represent the highest amongst identical scores made in each innings of a Test. There is also Misbah with 101 and 101*, which are not quite identical.
If you check with Statsguru, you will find that CAG Russell (Eng v SA in 1922-23) is the only one who scored two centuries in his last Test. Technically this applies to Hope as well at the time of writing, but he can hope to play many more Tests.
The selectors certainly had faith in him as he crossed 40 for the first time in his 7th Test and 50 in his 9th Test (though he got up to 90 that time).
Tail piece-incredible as it may seem, no one else had scored centuries in each innings of a first-class match at Leeds-not Bradman, nor Yorkshire stalwarts such as Sutcliffe, Hutton and Boycott.
More about this from Steven Lynch’s column on Sep 5, 2017:
“Is it true that Shai Hope was the first to score two centuries in the same match at Headingley? asked Brian McKenzie from Barbados
Remarkably, it is correct: in scoring 147 and 118 not out in his first match at Headingley, Shai Hope achieved what no one else had managed in 533 previous first-class matches on the ground. Yorkshire greats like Herbert Sutcliffe and Geoffrey Boycott played 61 and 59 times at Headingley respectively, but never managed two hundreds in the same game. Hope, of course, was nearly pipped to the honour by Kraigg Brathwaite, who followed his first-innings 134 with 95 in the second. According to the BBC scorer Andrew Samson, the ground that has now staged most matches without anyone making twin centuries there is Weston-super-Mare, with 191.”
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