Stokes and Bairstow scored 399 in a record sixth-wicket stand as England declared on 629 for six on the second day of the second test at Newlands. Nathan Astle leads the chart wih the fastest double century, which he got in just 153 deliveries.
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Stokes took 163 balls to reach the milestone on the second day of the second Test against South Africa, surpassing England great Ian Botham’s record of 220 balls against India in 1982. Eddie Paynter’s 243 in Durban and John Edrich 219 on the same ground are the other two in the list.
Stokes has now registered the highest-ever Test score by a number six batsman, his 258 beating Doug Walters’ 250 for Australia against New Zealand in 1977.
The 20-year-old Rabada, replacing the injured Dale Steyn, took two wickets in as many balls either side of the interval. The left-handed allrounder finally fell to a freaky dismissal when AB de Villiers dropped a regulation catch off him, but then managed to run out Stokes at the non-striker’s end with a direct hit.
In the first session Stokes and Bairstow clubbed 196 runs from 25 overs and after the break piled on a further 116 in 13.5 overs. South Africa captain Amla also reached his milestone in the same Test. Both the batsmen batting together with Amla scoring his 24th Test hundred.
The sensational innings came from only 198 balls and included 30 fours and 11 sixes.
“I felt we had a really good score on the board this morning so I thought, just keep on going the way I did last night”, said Stokes.
“See ball, hit ball is the only way to describe it”, said Stokes on Sunday (January 3) to describe his innings.
Only Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith have scored more Test runs for South Africa than his 8,038.
The tourists began Sunday’s play like they were playing a Twenty20 match with 45 runs in the first four overs as Stokes advanced from 74 not out overnight to his century and did not let up after that.
Watling made 124 and McCullum 302 as they helped secure a draw and a series win for the Black Caps.
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“It will be a big ask on a nice wicket, but we know that, once we get them, they can have a fragile tail with not many runs under their belts”.
