Fastest 50 by Sri Lanka in ODI

Sri Lanka, the former World Cup winners, are going through a transition period right now. The Lions played their first international match in 1926-27. They played their first ODI match against the West Indies on June 7, 1975. Sri Lanka have played 875 One-Day International (ODI) matches to date. They have 398 wins and 434 defeats under their belt. While five times it has been tied, 38 games have ended with no result.

However, the real moment came in 1996, when the underdog Sri Lankan team won the World Cup, beating Australia in the finals. And since then, cricket has become more popular in Sri Lanka. And we can see people taking an interest in this game. However, Sri Lanka has many records in this format. But in this article, we will discuss the list of the fastest fifty in ODI cricket. 

3. Angelo Mathews (20-ball) against Scotland at Hobart

Angelo Mathews holds the record for the third fastest half-century in the ODIs. It was the 35th match of the 2015 ODI World Cup between Sri Lanka and Scotland at Hobart. After winning the toss, Sri Lanka chose to bat first. They did a great job with the bat and scored 363/9 in 50 overs. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara scored centuries, respectively. Dilshan made 104 while Sangakkara scored 124 runs.

But the comeo came from the bat of Angelo Mathews. He came in and just started swinging his bat and scored a 20-ball half-century. He made 51 runs off 21 balls, including one four and six maximums. In reply, Scotland got all out for just 215 runs and lost the match by 148 runs. 

2. Kusal Perera (17-ball) against Pakistan at Pallekele

The joint second-fastest half-century came off the bat of Kusal Perera against Pakistan on July 15, 2015 at Pallekele. It was the second ODI of the five-match series. Pakistan batted first and scored 287/8 in their 50 overs. Skipper Azhar Ali was the top-scorer, having scored 79 runs. While Shoaib Malik (51) and Mohammad Rizwan (52) scored half-centuries each. It was a competitive total, made more difficult by Pakistan’s bowling.

But Kusal Perera gave Sri Lanka a firing start and scored a 17-ball half-century to dominate the game. The left-hander scored 68 off just 25 balls, including 13 fours and two maximums. With a few other vital contributions from other players, Sri Lanka chased down the total of 288/8 in 48.1 overs and won the match by two wickets. Perera won the “Man of the Match” for his blistering knock.

1. Sanath Jayasuriya (17-ball) against Pakistan (Joint second-fastest in ODI)

For almost two decades, Sanath Jayasuriya held the record for the fastest fifty, but AB de Villiers broke it in 2015. On April 07, 1996, in the final of the Singer Cup between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Singapore, Jayasuriya registered the fastest fifty of that time on just 17-balls. Batting first, Pakistan were dismissed for just 215 runs in 48.3 overs. Ijaz Ahmed was the top-scorer, who scored 51 runs for Pakistan.

It looked like a below-par total. But Pakistan’s bowlers did a good job of defending the total. They dismissed Sri Lanka for just 172 runs and won the final match by 43 runs. Despite the fastest fifty (at that time) by Sanath Jayasuriya off 17 balls, Sri Lanka lost the match. The left-hander scored 76 runs off 28 balls, with 8 fours and 5 sixes. 

List of Fastest 50 by Sri Lanka in ODI

Fastest 50 in ODI Team Wise