Annabel Sutherland became the eighth double centurion in women’s Test cricket today (February 16), scoring 210 against South Africa at the WACA.

It was the second time Annabel Sutherland passed three figures in a Test match, after she had scored a century on Test debut against England at Trent Bridge last summer. She became the ninth player to score more than one century for Australia in women’s Tests, while her average of 70.50 is now the fourth-highest among all Australiana.

Having taken three wickets in the first innings as South Africa were bowled out for 76, their lowest total in women’s Tests, Australia had slipped to 12-3 before Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney put on a 155-run partnership to take them into a first innings lead. Sutherland came to the crease when Mooney was out for 75, and put on 82-run partnership with Healy, before she was out on 99 – the fifth player out one short of a century in women’s Tests.

Having been on 54 when Healy got out, Sutherland reached her hundred with back-to-back fours off 149 balls – one more than she had taken to bring up her first Test hundred. She now holds the third and fourth positions on the list of fastest hundreds in women’s Tests.

After going into the tea break on day two on 113, she brought her double-hundred up in the same session off 248 balls – the fastest double century in the history of women’s Test cricket. The previous record was 306 balls by Karen Rolton in 2001.

210 – The fourth highest individual score in women’s Test cricket.

An incredible effort from Annabel Sutherland.#AUSvSA pic.twitter.com/x5CjEI5Uf1

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) February 16, 2024

At 22, Sutherland is the second-youngest player to score 200 in a women’s Test. Former India captain Mithali Raj is the only younger player to score a double hundred, having done so at 19. Sutherland is, however, the first women to score two Test hundreds batting at No.6 or lower, and the third-youngest to reach a second century in women’s Tests. Sandhya Agarwal and Emily Drumm both achieved the feat at 21.

Sutherland was closing in on the highest score in women’s Tests for Australia (Ellyse Perry’s 213 not out) when she was caught at slip attempting a scoop shot off Chloe Tryon. She finished her innings with 210 runs off 256 balls, with 27 fours and two sixes. 210 is the fourth-highest individual score in a women’s Test.

Australia declared on 575-9, 575 is the most runs scored in the second innings of a women’s Test, surpassing Australia’s previous record of 569 against England at Guildford in 1998. They led by 499, the biggest first-innings lead a side has ever built in a women’s Test, the previous record dating back to 1934/35. Across both men’s and women’s Tests, 499 is the seventh-highest first-innings lead in history.

More records could be set to tumble in the one-off Test – the first contested between the two sides – with South Africa in trouble again early in their second innings. They lost their top three batters inside the first eight overs of the innings.

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