18-Year-Old Batter Sets World Record with Explosive Double Century

South African 18-year-old batter Zarikh van Skalwijk has sent shockwaves through the cricketing world with back-to-back massive innings, signaling his arrival on the global stage. Just a week after his debut for the Under-19 team on July 17, where he was dismissed for a duck off 9 balls, Skalwijk bounced back spectacularly. In his next match, he smashed a record-breaking 164 runs, the highest individual score in South African youth cricket history. But he didn’t stop there—he went on to etch his name in the global record books.

Skalwijk became the first youth cricketer in the world to score a double century in an ODI. The 18-year-old right-hander blazed his way to 215 runs off 153 balls, including 19 fours and 6 sixes, in a monstrous innings. This surpassed the previous youth ODI record of 191 runs, set by Sri Lanka’s Hasitha Boyagoda against Kenya in 2018. Seven years later, Skalwijk shattered that milestone, creating history in the process.

The feat came during the opening match of a tri-nation youth ODI series in Harare, featuring Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Facing hosts Zimbabwe, Skalwijk’s double century powered South Africa to a mammoth 386 runs. The young batter had already showcased his prowess against Bangladesh in the previous match, scoring 156 runs before rain interrupted the game. Had it not been for the weather, his tally could have been even higher. Winning the toss and opting to bat first, South Africa saw Skalwijk race to a fifty in just 48 balls. He converted it into a century in 86 balls and reached 150 in 122 balls. From there, it took him a mere 23 balls to cross the 200-run mark, finishing with 215 before being dismissed. His knock laid the foundation for South Africa’s commanding total. In response, Zimbabwe’s youth team crumbled, bowled out for just 110 runs. Apart from their two openers (31 and 40), no other batter reached double figures. South Africa secured a massive 278-run victory, with Inathi Khitshini leading the bowling attack by claiming 4 wickets. Skalwijk’s explosive performances have firmly established him as a rising star, and his record-breaking double century has set a new benchmark in youth cricket.