Cricket
List of World's Fastest 50 in Cricket: ODIs, T20s and Tests
Know which batsman has scored the world’s fastest 50 in cricket across all three formats of the game at the international level. Get the top five list.
Dipendra Singh Airee of Nepal has scored the world’s fastest 50 in cricket, bringing up his half-century in just nine balls against Mongolia during the 2023 Asian Games. Airee broke Yuvraj Singh’s 16-year-old record in the process, as Nepal went on to win that match by a whopping 273 runs.
The record for scoring the fastest fifty in ODI cricket is held by former South Africa captain AB de Villiers. He scored it against the West Indies in 2015 as the Proteas went on to post a mammoth total of 439 runs in Johannesburg.
In the longest format, former Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq has scored the fastest half-century while playing against Australia in 2014. Pakistan went on to beat the Aussies by a huge 356-run margin.
World’s Fastest 50 in Cricket
In T20
| Year | Player | Balls faced to reach 50 | Opponent | Venue |
| 2023 | Dipendra Singh Airee | 9 | Mongolia | Hangzhou |
| 2023 | Ashutosh Sharma | 11 | Arunachal Pradesh | Ranchi |
| 2007 | Yuvraj Singh | 12 | England | Durban |
| 2016 | CH Gayle | 12 | Adelaide Strikers | Melbourne |
| 2018 | Hazratullah Zazai | 12 | Balkh Legends | Sharjah |
Dipendra Singh Airee | Nepal vs Mongolia
Airee had come to bat at the best possible time against Mongolia. When Nepal skipper Rohit Paudel got out in the 19th over, Nepal had already accumulated a massive 259 runs with 11 balls remaining. Coming in at number 5, Airee would hit five consecutive sixes before adding three more in the last over to create the record.
Ashutosh Sharma | Railways vs Andhra Pradesh
Dipendra Singh Airee is followed by Ashutosh Sharma, who took two more balls to reach his half-century while playing against Arunachal Pradesh in the 2023 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy group match in Ranchi. Coming to bat at number 6, Sharma hit one boundary and eight sixes to bring up his 50 in 11 balls. Railways won that match by 127 runs.
Yuvraj Singh | India vs England
Yuvraj Singh sits third on the list with his heroic feat against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup. Batting first, Yuvraj would come at number five to hit Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over to pretty much decide the outcome even before England came out to chase a target of 219.
Chris Gayle | Melbourne Renegades vs Adelaide Striker
No T20 record is complete without Chris Gayle’s mention in itT20 cricket’s first freelancer. Playing for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League 2016 season, he matched Yuvraj’s record of scoring 50 in 12 balls while chasing 171 runs against Adelaide Strikers.
Hazratullah Zazai | Kabul Zwanan vs Balkh Legends
Though Hazratullah Zazai’s 50 came at a losing cause, the opener had given a glimmer of hope for his Afghanistan Premier League side Kabul Zwanan, who were chasing a steep target of 245 runs set by Balkh Legends in 2018.
World’s Fastest 50 in Cricket
In ODI
| Year | Player | Balls faced to reach 50 | Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | AB de Villiers | 16 | West Indies | Johannesburg |
| 1996 | Sanath Jayasuriya | 17 | Pakistan | Singapore |
| 2015 | Kusal Perera | 17 | Pakistan | Pallekele |
| 2015 | Martin Guptill | 17 | Sri Lanka | Christchurch |
| 2022 | Liam Livingstone | 17 | Netherlands | Amstelveen |
AB de Villiers | South Africa vs West Indies
It was one of those days for West Indies when nothing worked for them and everything went in favour of South Africa in Johannesburg in 2015. All the three top-order batsmen - Hashim Amla, Riley Rossouw and AB de Villiers - had scored centuries. However, ABD stole the limelight with a stupendous 16-ball-50 coming at number 3. South Africa posted a target of 440 and won the match by 148 runs.
Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka vs Pakistan
Long before openers had started exploiting the field restrictions of the opening overs, it was Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya who had made it a habit. Facing Pakistan in the 1996 Singer Cup, the explosive southpaw would score a lightning-quick 17-ball-50 while chasing 215 runs set by Pakistan. The Lankans, however, would eventually lose the match.
Kusal Perera | Sri Lanka vs Pakistan
Jayasuriya is followed by his compatriot Kusal Perera, yet another aggressive opener. Hosting Pakistan for a five-match ODI series, Perera’s 17-ball-50 early in the innings saw Sri Lanka chase down a target of 287 runs in 48.1 overs.
Martin Guptill | New Zealand vs Sri Lanka
Sitting fourth on this list is New Zealand opener Martin Guptill, who also brought up his 50 in 17 balls in one of the most one-sided matches ever. Touring New Zealand for a five-match ODI series in 2015, Sri Lanka was wrapped up for 117 runs in 28 overs. Guptill and Latham chased it down in just eight overs.
Liam Livingstone | England vs Netherlands
Touring the Netherlands for a three-match ODI series, England were always the favourites. But, nothing prepared the hosts for the absolute carnage that England produced in the second ODI. Batting first, England had Phil Salt, David Malan and Jos Buttler all score centuries to set up a mammoth total. The team needed some icing on the cake, which was produced by Liam Livingstone coming to bat at number six. His 17-ball-50 saw England post a total of 499 runs in 50 overs. They won the match by 232 runs.
World’s fastest 50 in cricket
Test Matches
| Year | Player | Balls faced to reach 50 | Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Misbah-ul-Haq | 21 | Australia | Abu Dhabi |
| 2017 | David Warner | 23 | Pakistan | Sydney |
| 2005 | Jacques Kallis | 24 | Zimbabwe | Cape Town |
| 2014 | Shane Shillingford | 25 | New Zealand | Kingston |
| 2005 | Shahid Afridi | 26 | India | Bangalore |
Misbah-ul-Haq | Pakistan vs Australia
In one of Pakistan’s finest performances against Australia, Misbah-ul-Haq went on to score the fastest Test 50 in cricket coming in at number 5. Batting first during the 2nd Test of Austria Tour of Pakistan in 2014, Pakistan saw Azhar Ali and Misbah scoring tons as Younis Khan scored a double ton. Australia would eventually lose the Test by 356 runs.
David Warner | Australia vs Pakistan
It was payback time three years later when Pakistan was touring Australia in 2017. Batting first in the third Test in Sydney, David Warner brought up his fifty in 23 balls, gradually forging a 151-run partnership with Matt Renshaw. Pakistan would go on to lose the match by 220 runs.
Jacques Kallis | South Africa vs Zimbabwe
Former South African Jacques Kallis had scored a quick 24-run-50 in 2005 against Zimbabwe, a record that lasted nine years. Coming to bat at number 4 after a strong start by the proteas in Cape Town, Kallis further made things worse for Zimbabwe as he hit three fours and five sixes to bring up his fifty. South Africa would wrap up Zimbabwe twice in quick succession to win the match by an innings and 21 runs.
Shane Shillingford | West Indies vs New Zealand
West Indies would lose their 2014 Test series in New Zealand 2-1 and were mostly dominated by the hosts, with the exception being a late cameo by Shane Shillingford. Chasing a target of 403 most of the West Indies team were sent back to the pavilion, when Shillingford would blast a 25-ball-50 coming in at number 10 and remained unbeaten. Though it came at a losing cause, he is the only pure bowler to be on this list.
Shahid Afridi | Pakistan vs India
A rejuvenated Pakistan side had toured India in 2005 to settle the scores after India won the ODI and Test series a year earlier. And Shahid Afridi produced a magical knock in the third match with the series at stake. Despite Afridi scoring a duck in the first innings Pakistan had managed to take a 121-run lead when they came to bat in the second innings on Day 4. A fast start was needed and Afridi’s seven boundaries and two sixes provided exactly that. Pakistan would eventually win the match by 168 runs and level the series.
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An M.A. in English Literature, Subhayan is an experienced journalist and sports writer. Having worked as a journalist at Hindustan Times, Subhayan covered diverse beats including sports, education, and health, showcasing his versatility and in-depth understanding of various subjects.