T20 cricket is the tiniest format at the highest level. This popular format demands the batters to score runs faster than ODI cricket and consume as few balls as possible. Fours and sixes are the bread and butter for the batsmen in the T20 extravaganza and the more a batsman hits fours or sixes, it increases the chances of making a big total for his team or chasing down a massive score on board. Some of the hardest hitters like AB DE Villiers, Chris Gayle, Yuvraj Singh, Jos Buttles, etc. have marked their presence in the format’s lifetime with their respective style, let us put you through the players with the fastest 50 in T20 international.
Dipendra Singh Airee
Nepali all-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee scripted history during the 2023 Asian Games in China. He smashed a fifty off just 9 balls at an unreal strike rate of 520.00 and remained not out on 52 against a pale Mongolia team. It was a display of pure slogging as he smashed 9 sixes and 1 boundary in the 10 balls he faced. However, the boundary was shorter there but his blitz helped him to break Yuvraj Singh’s record of fastest 50 which he registered in just 12 balls.
Yuvraj Singh
Former World Cup-winning Indian all-rounder, Yuvraj Singh holds the record of whacking the 2nd fastest 50 in T20 internationals. He reached the halfway mark in just 12 deliveries during his rampage knock-of 58 off 16 balls against mighty England in the 2007 T20 World Cup in Durban. His fiery outing was possible due to a fallout with Andrew Flintoff which led him to smack 6 consecutive sixes in Stuart Broad’s over. The Stalwart from Punjab held his record for 16 long years until Depandra shattered it in the 2023 Asian Games. Although no full nation member has come close to matching or breaking this feat.
Mirza Ahsan
Austria’s Mirza Ahsan broke into the record book in 2019 when he hit a fifty in just 13 balls against Luxembourg in the Continental Cup, the 3rd fastest 50 in T20 internationals. His warring innings included 2 fours and seven spectacular sixes, aiding his team to post 239 runs and winning the game by a big margin of 135 runs.
Colin Munro
One of the reputed T20 batters from New Zealand, opener Colin Munro etched his name on the elite tally of the fastest 50 in T20 internationals during the 2nd T20 of the Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand in 2016. The Southpaw made the half-century in a mere 14 balls while chasing a target of 142 in Auckland. He creamed 7 sixes and a four to chase down the target for the hosts.
Ramesh Satheeshan
The 5th fastest 50 in T20 international came in a low-tier game between Romania and Serbia in 2021. Romanian opener Ramesh Satheeshan scored his fifty in a chase of 117 runs off just 14 balls which contained 5 sixes and 6 fours. His tremendous display of batting propelled Romania to win the semi-finals of the Sofia Cup by 10 wickets.
List of Fastest 50 in T20 International
| Player | Balls | Against | Year | Venue |
| D Airee (NEP) | 9 | Mongolia | 2023 | Hangzhou |
| Y Singh (IND) | 12 | England | 2007 | Durban |
| M Ahsan (AuA) | 13 | Luxembourg | 2019 | IIfov County |
| C Munro (NZ) | 14 | Sri Lanka | 2016 | Auckland |
| R Satheeshan (Rom) | 14 | Serbia | 2021 | Sofia |
| F Khan (SAR) | 15 | Kuwait | 2019 | Al Amerat |
| Q De Kock (SA) | 15 | West Indies | 2023 | Centurion |
| S Hope (WI) | 16 | Bangladesh | 2018 | Sylhet |
| M Akayezu (RWA) | 16 | Ghana | 2021 | Rwanda |
| M Ali (ENG) | 16 | South Africa | 2022 | Bristol |
Dipendra Airee scored the fastest 50 in T20 international (9 balls).
Among Indians, Yuvraj Singh scored the fastest 50 in T20 international in just 12 balls.
Senior Cricket Content Editor at Skyblogs Cricket.
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