New Zealand's hard-hitting batter Bevon Jacobs scripted history in the Ford Trophy 2026-27 fixture on November 12. Jacobs, who had not scored a List A century in his 32-game career, smashed an unbeaten 202 for Auckland against Otago at Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland.
Jacobs smashed the ball all around the park. He hit 21 sixes, the second-most by a batter in the history of One-Day cricket. The youngster smashed five sixes in the final over to reach his maiden One-Day double ton from 137 balls.
Only Australia’s D’Arcy Short has hit more sixes than Jacobs in a One-Day innings. In 2008, Short smashed 23 sixes in his 148-ball 257 for Western Australia against Queensland in Sydney in their domestic One-Day tournament. No other batter has hit 20 or more sixes in an innings.
Very slow start to carnage in Auckland
Jacobs walked out to bat at no.4 in the sixth over as Auckland lost early wickets. He got off the mark after facing nine dot balls. Another wicket fell, but Jacobs tried to play himself in against the new ball. He hit his first six off the 29th ball he faced. Then, the six-hitting menace took over. He hit two consecutive sixes off Zak Cumming in the 20th over. In the 25th over, he reached his half-century with a six from 57 balls.
After a slow start, Jacobs picked up pace in the middle overs. Lachlan Stackpole departed for a 45-ball 46, but the six-hitting mayhem continued. In the 39th over, he got to three figures for the first time, taking 97 balls.
The T20-like acceleration followed. The wickets of Ryan Harrison, Siddhesh Dixit, Jaskaran Sandhu and Angus Olliver did not have an impact on his approach. He raced to his 150 from 122 balls, reaching the milestone with a six. The final over was handed to Cumming. Jacobs hit a hat-trick of sixes, faced a dot ball and then hit a couple more sixes to reach his double century. His knock of 202 not out took Auckland to 334/8.
Jacobs yet to make ODI debut
Jacobs had a decent run in the recently concluded T20I series against India. He scored a half-century in the second T20I of the series. With a few players missing out due to injury while others left for Test preparations, 24-year-old Jacobs was not included in the ODI side.
He is yet to receive his maiden ODI call-up. Before the double ton, his List A record wasn't as impressive. From 28 innings, he scored 668 runs at an average of 27.83 and a strike rate close to 100, including four half-centuries. But he has forced the selectors to look at him for a middle-order role with the sensational double ton. His belligerent knock did not just feature naked aggression but also a cautious start, which was the need of the hour after early wickets.
Jacobs becomes 3rd in elite Kiwi list
Jacobs is only the third batter to score a double century in New Zealand’s One-Day domestic competition. The first to do it was former Kiwi opener Jamie How with a 222-run knock from 138 balls for Central Districts against Northern Districts in Hamilton in 2013. 11 years later, Chad Bowes scored 205 runs from 162 balls for Canterbury against Otago in Christchurch.
For Auckland, the previous highest One-Day score belonged to former opener Colin Munro. In 2017, he scored 174 not out off 118 balls against Canterbury in Auckland's home game.
However, the only New Zealand batter to score a double century in ODIs is Martin Guptill, who is part of the current coaching staff. Guptill had scored 237 not out from 163 balls against West Indies in 2015.
IPL comeback loading for Jacobs?
In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction, Jacobs was picked by Mumbai Indians (MI) for his base price of Rs 30 lakh. He did not get to make his IPL debut and was released from the squad.
In 2026, he did not feature in the IPL. He represented Quetta Gladiators in Pakistan Super League (PSL). But his recent performances may lead to an IPL comeback as teams will be looking to bolster their middle-order.
Meanwhile, he is set to make his Big Bash League (BBL) debut in the upcoming season for Brisbane Heat. He is expected to make his BBL debut against Sydney Sixes at The Gabba, Brisbane, on December 15, a couple of days before the IPL 2027 mini-auction.
What Jacobs said about possible IPL comeback?
Jacobs had recalled his IPL dressing room experience. He intends to remain in the present and focus on the task at hand instead of thinking about IPL opportunities in the future.
"I think that experience was huge for me just to go over and learn, especially in some different conditions, you know. I think it is nice to experience conditions away from home, and since then I have had the opportunity to go to a few other places as well,” he had said last month.
"Obviously being able to explore those opportunities is really cool, and it definitely, you know, adds different strings to your game. But, again, as I said, I think for me it's just about contributing to the team and focusing on the task at hand," he added.