Fastest 50 by New Zealand in ODI

ODI cricket: The Black Caps got the status of a test team in 1930, but they played their first ever ODI match in Christchurch in 1972 against Pakistan. New Zealand are one of the best teams in ODI cricket and their consistency is the proof. The Black Caps have been unlucky that despite reaching the finals of the last two ODI World Cups in 2015 and 2019, they ended up on the losing side.

But nevertheless, they have played some good cricket in the last decade. That is the reason they are among the top teams in this format. Speaking of legacy, New Zealand has produced some of the hardest-hitting batsmen of all time. The former skipper, Brendon McCullum, is one of those. In this article, we will discuss the fastest 50 ever scored by New Zealand in ODI cricket. 

3. Brendon McCullum (19-ball) against Bangladesh Queenstown

Brendon McCullum was one of the most explosive batsmen of his generation, and he only knew one game: hitting the ball to every part of the ground. In fact, six out of ten of the fastest fifty for New Zealand are under the name of McCullum. In a match against Bangladesh at Queenstown on December 31, 2007, he hit the third fastest New Zealand 50. Batting first, Bangladesh had a horrible performance.

As a result, they were all out for just 93 runs in 37.5 overs. Daniel Vettori registered an incredible figure of 5/7 in 6 overs. Chasing a small target, New Zealand went into the business and, in particular, McCullum went all guns blazing. He smashed a 19-ball half-century and the Black Caps chased down 95 runs in just 6 overs. The right-hander scored 80* off 28 balls, including nine fours and six maximums. 

2. Brendon McCullum (18-ball) against England at Wellington

New Zealand reached the finals of 2015 mostly because of the explosive batting of Brendon McCullum. The ninth match between England and New Zealand at Wellington saw the second fastest fifty for the Black Caps. After winning the toss, the English team chose to bat first but couldn’t capitalise. England were bowled out for 123 runs in 33.2 overs courtesy of Tim Southee’s seven-wicket haul. He registered his career-best figure of 7/33 in that match.

The target of 123 runs was just a walk in the park for New Zealand. McCullum went hard in the chase and scored an 18-ball half-century and scored 77 off 25 balls, including eight boundaries and seven maximums. New Zealand chased down the target in 12.2 overs and scored 125/2 to win the match by 8 wickets and 226 balls to spare.

1. Martin Guptill (17-ball) against Sri Lanka (joint second-fastest in ODI cricket)

Martin Guptill holds the record for New Zealand’s fastest fifty, which came against Sri Lanka in 2015. In the second match of the five-match ODI series, Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first. New Zealand’s pacers once again did the job and rattled the Sri Lankan batting order. As a result, they got all out for just 117 in 27.4 overs. 

Matt Henry took four wickets and Mitchell McClenaghan picked up three. In reply, New Zealand went berserk and chased down the target in just 8.2 overs and made 118 runs. They won the match by 10 wickets with 250 balls to spare. Guptill smashed a 17-ball fifty and made 93* off just 30 balls, including nine fours and eight maximums.

List of Fastest 50 by New Zealand in ODI cricket

Fastest 50 in ODI Team Wise