QUICK TAKE | How Craig Ervine Hit His First Test Double Century at 41. Seven Things to Know
1. Who is Craig Ervine?
Ervine is a 41-year-old left-handed batter and former Zimbabwe captain who has played international cricket since 2010. He first led Zimbabwe in a Test against Bangladesh in 2020 and took over as ODI captain in 2021. His older brother Sean also played international cricket for Zimbabwe.
2. How did he get to 206?
Ervine came in at 120 for three in Zimbabwe’s second innings and batted through to the close. He put on 140 with Antum Naqvi and an unbroken 208 with Wessly Madhevere. His 206 came off 279 balls and included 23 fours and two sixes.
3. How rare is a Test double hundred at 41?
Only South Africa’s Eric Rowan and England’s Jack Hobbs were older when they scored a men’s Test double century. Rowan was 42 when he did it in 1951. Ervine was also the first batter aged 40 or older to reach 200 in a men’s Test since Graham Gooch in 1994.
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4. What was his previous Test best?
He made 160 against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2017. It took him nine years to go past that score. Along the way in Sharjah, he also became the seventh Zimbabwe batter to reach 2,000 Test runs. His previous Test hundred, in 2024, was also against Afghanistan.
5. What did he do on his ODI debut against India?
He made an unbeaten 67 to help Zimbabwe beat India in Bulawayo in 2010. Five years later in Harare, he hit his first ODI century, an unbeaten 130 off 108 balls that helped Zimbabwe chase down 304 against New Zealand.
6. What nearly cut short his cricket career?
As a boy, Ervine badly injured his hand on broken glass. The injury required three hours of reconstructive surgery, according to his ICC profile. He recovered and went on to train at the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy.
7. How did a Test with seven centuries end in a draw?
Zimbabwe made 504 and Afghanistan replied with 514, leaving just 10 runs between them after the first innings. Zimbabwe then reached 523 for five before the teams shook hands, shortly after Madhevere brought up his maiden Test hundred. It was the first Test in which three team innings each topped 500.