Who is Chad Bowes - 5 interesting facts about New Zealand cricketer who hit fastest List A double century
Chad Bowes created history on Wednesday (October 23) as he slammed the fastest List-A double century off 103 balls. Travis Head and N Jagadeesan previously held this record, taking 114 deliveries each to score a double century.
Playing for Canterbury, Bowes smashed 205 off 110 against Otago in Christchurch to help the team post a strong total of 343. In response, Otago were bundled out for just 103.
Bowes has been a credible player in domestic cricket, scoring over 10,000 runs across all formats. He holds the record for scoring the most runs for Canterbury in the 2017/18 Plunket Shield, 2018 Ford Trophy and 2018–19 Super Smash.
Besides, the 32-year-old made his limited-overs debut in 2023 for New Zealand. He has played 17 games (6 ODIs and 11 T20Is) and garnered 286 runs with a fifty in both formats against Pakistan. On that note, let's take a look at the five interesting facts about Chad Bowes.
#1 Captained South Africa in 2012 U19 World Cup
Chad Bowes was born on October 19, 1992, in Benoni, South Africa. After impressive performances in early age groups, Bowes was elected as the Proteas leader for the 2012 U19 World Cup. He led the team having players like Quinton de Kock and Theunis de Bruyn.
Although South Africa won all their three group matches, they lost to Australia in the semi-finals. Bowes emerged as the second-highest run-scorer for the team with 283 runs, behind De Kock (284).
#2 Got help from Stephen Fleming to kickstart his cricketing career in New Zealand
After not getting enough opportunities in South Africa, Chad Bowes decided to pursue a career in New Zealand. His agent Patrick Steytler, who knew Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming during his IPL stint, supported him.
Interestingly, Fleming was friends with Sydenham cricket president Graham Harris, who helped Bowes kickstart his career with the club. Here's what Bowes said at that time (via Stuff.co.nz):
"Once we had discussed my opportunities coming to New Zealand, [Steytler] got on the phone and said to Stephen, Chad is coming to New Zealand, what can you do for me, who do you know?"
#3 Chad Bowes suffered 3 concussion incidents in span of 17 months
The right-hander has been through three concussion incidents throughout his playing career in New Zealand domestic cricket. The first instance was during Canterbury's opening Plunket Shield match in October 2016. Two months later, he suffered another concussion, while top-edging a ball to his helmet.
In February 2018, Bowes' faced another concussion while playing for Canterbury against Wellington. However, all concussions Bowes suffered were mild.
#4 Most expensive foreign player in LPL 2023 auction
The Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2023 auction saw Chad Bowes emerge as the most expensive foreign player. The Galle Titans shelled out $58,000 to secure his services.
However, Bowes just played two games in the season, scoring 35 runs at a strike rate of 85.36. The side went on to qualify for the playoffs, before losing both playoff games.
#5 Opened a coffee outlet in 2022
In 2022, Chad Bowes opened his mobile coffee business named 'The Conscious Coffee Project' in Christchurch. The outlet's mantra was to provide organic and fair-trade coffee.
Notably, Bowes' wife Chloe has also been an unwavering supporter of his coffee business.