FOR all the accolades heaped on Ben Stokes, there is no guarantee that the second fastest double century in Test history will be remembered as one of the game's great feats.

It stands second to Nathan Astle's 153-ball effort against England at Christchurch in 2002 – and that doesn't merit a place in a new list of the top 50 performances in the last 50 years.

Stokes's innings of 256 came too late to be considered for inclusion in the list, drawn up by a panel of 25 experts and published in Cricket Monthly.

Fellow Durham player Steve Harmison's seven for 12 against the West Indies in 2004 isn't included, probably because of the standard of the opposition and the quality of the Jamaican pitch.

The Christchurch Test in 2002 was played on a drop-in pitch which started out as a green seamer and dried out into a bowlers' graveyard.

The match was evenly balanced with England on 106 for five in their second innings when Andrew Flintoff went in to hit his maiden Test century off 114 balls. He put on 281 with Graham Thorpe, whose 231-ball double hundred was then the third fastest in Test history.

It was eclipsed the following day by Astle, whose second hundred came off 39 balls. As with Ian Botham's 149 not out at Headingley in 1981, it was a muck-or-nettles situation in which Astle swung merrily and got away with it.

That's one reason why Stokes's effort should be more favourably remembered, because England were in danger of squandering a good start when he went in.

Durham fans who first marvelled at his feats as an 18-year-old tyro will not be too astonished by anything he achieves, whereas Astle failed to impress during his brief spell with Durham in 2005. He had a top score of 65 in five matches.

First place in the Cricket Monthly list goes to VVS Laxman for his 281 in the second innings of the Calcutta Test against Australia in 2001.

As well as the pitch and opposition, match situation is another factor and India trailed by 274 in the first innings. Shane Warne recalled that when bowling into the rough outside leg stump Laxman would hit him through mid-wicket then make room to drive the identical ball through the covers.

India went on to win the match.

Second place goes to Botham for that Headingley 1981 performance, in which his second innings onslaught has tended to overshadow his six for 95 in Australia's first innings.

Third spot goes to Michael Holding for taking 14 wickets on the flattest of Oval pitches in 1976.

Botham has three entries in the top 50 and his great all-round rivals Imran Khan and Kapil Dev also feature. Stokes has always looked capable of breaking into such company and, at 24, he has truly arrived.