In this article, we will look at the top 10 fastest fifties in the history of T20 International cricket. In the past few decades, T20 cricket has fascinated audiences for the simple reason that it is both exciting and engaging at the same time. The format has also been able to draw a larger audience from all over the world. Anyone who follows the sport will agree that this format has enhanced the dominance of batters in the game. Let us recall some iconic moments in the history of cricket when the T20 batsmen caught everyone’s attention with their extraordinary performances.
1. Yuvraj Singh
September 19 2007, is a date that marks a historic event in International Cricket. Yuvraj Singh (popularly known as Yuvi), while playing for India, made an unbreakable record of smashing a half-century in just 12 balls. It was in this match that he hit his six sixes in an over. He batted against the England bowler Stuart Broad. India also won the world cup that year by defeating Pakistan in the finals. He scored 58 runs with a strike rate of 362.50.
2. Mirza Ahsan
Right-handed Austrian batter Mirza Ahsan depicted his stunning performance in the seventh T20 International match against Luxembourg by scoring the second-fastest fifty in 13 balls. He smashed a total of 7 sixes with a strike rate of 364.28. He went on to score 51 runs in just 14 balls. Austria had won the match by 135 runs.
3. Colin Munro
Colin Munro is a left-handed New Zealand batter. He is an explosive batter with a strike rate of 155.6 in T20I and three centuries in T20I. He smashed his fastest half-century against Sri Lanka in just 14 deliveries and scored 63 runs in 19 balls with six boundaries and five sixes resulting in a strike rate of 357.14 on January 10, 2016. With his explosive batting, New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by nine wickets in Auckland.
4. Ramesh Satheesan
On June 26 2021, Ramesh Satheesan, a right-handed Romanian batter, made the record of the fourth-fastest half-century in International T 20 cricket to date. On the grounds of the National Sports Academy in Sofia, in a match against Serbia, Satheesan scored 56* runs in 15 balls with a strike rate of 373.33. His half-century came in just 14 balls, while his runs tally included a total of six 4s and five 6s.
5. Faisal Khan
Played on January 24 2019, the match between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait made Faisal Khan enter the record book of the fastest fifties in T20 International Cricket. In this innings, he managed to score an unbeaten 83 runs in total. He had hit his half-century in just 15 balls, and his strike rate was 296.42. Faisal managed to smash seven fours and an equal number of sixes in the match. Saudi Arabia successfully chased a total of 136 runs with seven wickets in hand at the end of the innings.
6. Shai Diego Hope
On December 17 2018, West Indies top-order batter Shai Diego Hope scored his fastest half-century in 16 balls. Played between West Indies and Bangladesh on the grounds of Sylhet Stadium, Hope, with a strike rate of over 239, provided his team with a fantastic start West Indies went on to win the match by eight wickets with 55 balls in hand.
7. PR Stirling
Playing for Ireland in the qualifier match of 2012 ICC World T20, Stirling smashed his half-century in 17 balls. Batting against Afghanistan on the ground of Dubai International Cricket Stadium, he had hit a total of 79 runs in 38 balls with a strike rate of 207.98. His stunning 79 against Afghanistan in the finals remains one of his most memorable innings of all time.
8. SJ Myburgh
On March 21 2014, Stephen J Myburgh scored his fastest half-century in just 17 balls. The batter from the Netherlands, went on to score a total of 63 runs in 23 balls. He smashed 4 fours and 7 sixes with a strike rate of 273.91. The rival team was Ireland and the match was played in the Sylhet stadium. After this, the Netherlands qualified for the super 10 in the T 20 world cup 2014.
9. CH Gayle
Known for his long sixes and hard-hitting, the West Indian batter Chris Gayle made his half-century in 17 balls. Playing against South Africa, the batter went to score a total of 77 runs in 31 balls with a strike rate of 248.38. The match was played in Cape Town on January 9 2015, in which Gayle had smashed five fours and eight sixes.
10. Q De Kock
The last player in the top 10 batsmen with the fastest fifties is the South African left-handed batter, Quinton de Kock. On February 14, 2020, in his match against England, Q de Kock scored 65* runs in 22 balls. His century came in just 17 balls, and he had smashed a total of 2 fours and eight sixes in the innings with a strike rate of 295.45. The venue for the match was Kingsmead ground, Durban.
