The ICC T20 World Cup 2022 is less than a week away and the fans are buzzing about the kind of power and skillset the batters will showcase at the mega-event that will be played in Australia from October 16 to November 13.
While some of the editions of the ICC T20 World Cup which were played on slower and bowling-friendly tracks in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh saw matches with sub-par scores, the others, such as in South Africa, England and the UAE saw batters enjoying the good pitches and conditions beneficial for playing strokes freely. There have been times when batsmen have turned the game around in a matter of few overs, blasting half-centuries in less than a couple of dozen deliveries.
In this article, we look at the 5 fastest fifties in the ICC T20 World Cup history:
Shoaib Malik – 18 balls vs Scottland, 2021
Veteran Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik turned the clock around when the 39-year-old smashed 54* off 18 balls as he brought up his half-century on the last ball of the innings with a six against Scotland during last year’s T20 World Cup in UAE.
Coming into bat in the 16th over, Malik made full use of the short Sharjah boundaries and cracked 6 sixes and one four in his entertaining innings. Courtesy of Malik’s late assault, Pakistan put up 189 on the board and won the match by 72 runs.
KL Rahul – 18 balls vs Scottland, 2021
Batting aggressively right from the start of the innings hasn’t been KL Rahul’s game in the past three years. However, that was the need of the hour from KL Rahul when the India faced Scotland in a Group 2 game in Dubai last year. India had already lost to Pakistan and New Zealand and needed to win by big margin to boost the net run rate in order to keep their semi-final hopes alive.
The bowlers did their job by bowling out Scotland for only 85. Then India opener KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma (30 off 16) came out swinging for the fences from the very first over and scored 70 runs in only 4 overs. KL Rahul looked in pristine touch and clattered an 18-ball half-century with the help of 6 fours and 3 sixes.
Glenn Maxwell – 18 balls vs Pakistan, 2014
Australian middle-order dynamo Glenn Maxwell was in the form of his life in 2014. And had the freedom of license when Australia found themselves chasing a big target of 192 against Pakistan in Mirpur.
They had lost Warner and Watson in the first over of the chase, and despite those two early wickets, Maxwell launched a stunning counter-attack in which the Pakistani bowlers blew away. With Aaron Finch playing the anchor role by his side, Maxwell unleashed himself, slamming 7 fours and 6 sixes in his knock of 74 runs off 33 balls. He had notched up his fifty in 18 balls.
However, Maxwell got out with the target still 66 runs away with 8 overs left and Australia suffered a collapse, eventually losing by 16 runs.
Stephan Myburgh – 17 balls vs Ireland, 2014
Netherlands batsman Stephan Myburgh holds the record for the second-fastest fifty in T20 World Cup history. He created this record against Ireland during the 2014 T20 World Cup in a first round match in Sylhet.
Chasing a steep total of 190 – which the Netherlands needed to chase down in 14.2 overs to qualify for the next round – Myburgh took the Irish bowlers head-on right from the outset of his innings. The left-handed opener plundered 63 runs off only 23 balls, walloping 7 sixes and 4 fours in his innings, wherein he had brought up his half-century off the 17th delivery he faced. Myburgh stunning knock helped Netherlands chase 190 inside 14 overs and qualify for the next round.
Yuvraj Singh – 12 balls vs England, 2007
What can be said about this one, except: SIX SIXES!!
Yuvraj Singh lit up the Kingsmead Stadium in Durban during the India-England encounter in the 2007 T20 World Cup. Before the start of the 19th over of India’s innings, Yuvraj was on 14 off 6 and just had had a verbal tussle with Andrew Flintoff. Poor Stuart Broad. He had no idea what was about to hit him: SIX SIXES!!
Over the wicket, around the wicket – nothing worked for Broad. On side, offside – Yuvraj smoked sixes on both sides of the pitch and brought up his fifty in only 12 balls – the fastest fifty in T20Is and in international cricket to date!
He whacked another six, to Flintoff in the next over before getting out for 58 off only 16 balls. India scored 218 while England fell 18 runs short.
