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With the introduction of T20 cricket in the past decade, modern-day batsmen transformed their ways of approaching the sport. We as viewers have observed that cricketers like Andre Russel have found more success and fame as their style of batting is aggressive and entertaining. Players like Glenn Maxwell, Rishabh Pant, Kieron Pollard etc. prefer to hit the ball for a six right from their first delivery to put pressure back on the bowler. Let us have a look at such instances where the bowlers have been demolished by outstanding attacking innings by batsmen in ODI cricket. Here are the top 10 Fastest 50 (fifty) in ODI Cricket.
Complete list of Top 10 Fastest 50 in ODI
Runs | Balls | 6s | 4s | Player | Match | Venue | Date |
| 149 | 16 | 16 | 9 | AB de Villiers | South Africa v West Indies | Johannesburg | 18/01/2015 |
| 76 | 17 | 5 | 8 | Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka v Pakistan | Singapore | 07/04/1996 |
| 68 | 17 | 2 | 13 | Kusal Perera | Sri Lanka v Pakistan | Pallekele | 15/07/2015 |
| 93 | 17 | 8 | 9 | MJ Guptill | New Zealand v Sri Lanka | Christchurch | 28/12/2015 |
| 66* | 17 | 6 | 6 | Liam Livingstone | England v Netherlands | Amstelveen | 17/06/2022 |
| 74 | 18 | 6 | 4 | SP O’Donnell | Australia v Sri Lanka | Sharjah | 02/05/1990 |
| 102 | 18 | 11 | 6 | Shahid Afridi | Pakistan v Sri Lanka | Nairobi | 04/10/1996 |
| 55* | 18 | 6 | 4 | Shahid Afridi | Pakistan v Netherlands | Colombo | 21/09/2002 |
| 60 | 18 | 7 | 3 | GJ Maxwell | Australia v India | Bangalore | 02/11/2013 |
| 59 | 18 | 7 | 2 | Shahid Afridi | Pakistan v Bangladesh | Mirpur | 04/03/2014 |
10Shahid Afridi (PAK) vs Bangladesh, Mirpur, 2014 (18 balls)
Next is ‘Boom Boom’ Afridi himself, for his mind-blowing 59 against Bangladesh in Asia Cup 2014. Pakistan were chasing a huge total of 327 set up by the Bangladeshis and were on the verge of witnessing a huge upset. However, that didn’t happen as the Afridi’s half-century in just 18 balls got Pakistan through the line. Afridi smashed 7 sixes in this innings and was also adjudged as ‘Man of the Match’.
Also Read | Meet the Players with the Fastest 100 ODI Wickets
9Glenn Maxwell (AUS) vs India, Bangalore, 2013 (18 balls)
In the series decider of Australia’s tour of India in 2013, India had set up a large total of 384, thanks to Rohit Sharma’s iconic 209. Australia started the second innings poorly. However, it was Glenn Maxwell’s half-century in just 18 balls, which gave them the momentum to chase down the target. Maxwell scored 60 off only 22 balls at an explosive strike rate of 272.23! However, Australia lost the match by 57 runs.
8Shahid Afridi (PAK) vs the Netherlands, Colombo, 2002 (18 balls)
On number 7 is again Shahid Afridi’s unbeaten 55 in just 18 balls against a rather weak bowling line-up of the Netherlands in the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy. Shahid scored at an unimaginable strike rate of 305.55 and smashed 4 fours and 6 sixes in this innings.
7Shahid Afridi (PAK) vs Sri Lanka, Nairobi, 1996 (18 balls)
For the third time in this list, we have Shahid Afridi again for his record-breaking 102 off just 40 balls against Sri Lanka. This knock by Afridi created a revolution in the way batsmen bat today. The then 16-year-old Afridi scored his fifty in just 18 balls. This was the then fastest 100 in ODI cricket as Afridi smashed his century in only 37 balls. He smashed 11 sixes and six fours in this innings.
6Simon O’Donnell (AUS) vs Sri Lanka, Sharjah, 1990 (18 balls)
Next is Australian Simon O’Donnell’s 50 against Sri Lanka in Sharjah which came in just 18 deliveries. This was the then fastest 50 in ODI and till date is the fastest 50 in ODI cricket by an Australian batsman in ODIs.
5Liam Livingstone, England v Netherlands (17 Balls)
Next is Liam Livingstone’s 50 against Netherlands in Amstelveen which came in just 17 deliveries. Liam Livingstone surpassed other batsmen with this record and now stands fifth in the table. This is the most recent fastest 50 in ODIs which was made in 2022.
4Fastest Fifty in ODI | Martin Guptill (NZ) vs Sri Lanka, Christchurch, 2015 (17 balls)
Number 4 is Martin Guptill’s explosive 93* off 30 balls. He smashed his half-century in only 17 deliveries and scored the fastest 50 in ODI by a New Zealand batsman. Due to Guptill’s unimaginable innings, New Zealand managed to chase Sri Lanka’s target of 118 in just 8.2 overs!
3Fastest 50 in ODI | Kusal Perera (SL) vs Pakistan, Pallekele, 2015 (17 balls)
Next is Kusal Perera’s 50 against Pakistan which came up in just 17 balls. Perera scored 68 off 25 balls at a strike rate of 272.0! He smashed 13 fours and 2 sixes and helped Sri Lanka chase down the total of 288 successfully.
2Fastest 50 in ODI | Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) vs Pakistan, Singapore, 1996 (17 balls)
On number 2 is Sri Lankan Maestro Sanath Jayasuriya’s explosive knock of 76 against Sri Lanka in the Final of Singer Cup of 1996. Sanath smashed 5 sixes and 8 fours and scored his fastest 50 in ODI in just 17 balls. Although Sanath batted at a strike rate of 271.42, Sri Lanka was unsuccessful in chasing Pakistan’s target of 216 as they lost to Pakistan by 43 runs.
1Fastest 50 in ODI | AB De Villiers (SA) vs West Indies, Johannesburg, 2015 (16 balls)
The record for the fastest 50 in ODI cricket was made by AB De Villiers which came in just 16 balls. De Villiers played a historic inning of 149 against West Indies and smashed 16 sixes. With this, he equalled Rohit Sharma’s record of hitting the most number of sixes in an innings. In the same innings, Mr. 360 also smashed the fastest century in ODIs which came in just 31 balls!
FAQs
The record for the fastest 50 in ODI cricket is held by AB de Villiers of South Africa. He achieved this feat in just 16 balls against the West Indies in 2015.
There are current players featured in the top 10 fastest 50s list like Liam Livingstone, Martin Guptill, etc.
In 2022, Liam Livingstonemade the fastest 50 against Netherlands in Amstelveen.
