West Indies was the first ever team that started the dominance in the One Day internationals. They won the first two ODI World Cups in 1975 and 1979 and even came close to winning it in 1983 but lost to India. Nevertheless, the West Indies are always known for their aggressive brand of cricket. Even the current team has some of the world’s best hard-hitting batters.
Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Keiron Pollard, Shimron Hetmyer, and many more. With such a powerful batting line-up, the bowler always gets a headache. The West Indies have many records in ODI cricket. But in this article, we will discuss the list of the fastest fifty for the Caribbean team in the history of the one-day internationals.
3. Brain Lara (23-ball) against Canada at Centurion
The third fastest half-century for the West Indies came off the bat of legendary batsman Brain Lara. It was in a match against Canada at Centurion in the 2003 World Cup. The Caribbean team won the toss and chose to bowl first. Canada had a decent start as the opener, John Davison, went on to score a century. He made 111 off 76 balls, but other batters couldn’t do much. Canada got all out for 202 runs in 42.5 overs.
Vasbert Drakes picked up 5/44. Chasing the target, West Indies lost the first wicket early but then recovered and batted really well. Brain Lara hit a 23-ball fifty and scored 73 off 40 balls with eight fours and five sixes, while Wavell Hinds also hit a 24-ball fifty. West Indies chased down the target at 206/3 in 20.3 overs and won the match.
2. Daren Sammy (20-ball) against South Africa at Antigua
The second fastest fifty for West Indies came from the bat of former skipper Darren Sammy. It was the second ODI in a five-match series. South Africa won the toss and decided to bat first. The Proteas had a really good start and their top order batted really well. Hashim Amla scored 92 runs while Jacques Kallis made 85 runs. As a result, South Africa made 300/5 in their 50 overs.
In reply, West Indies had a decent start but lost a few wickets in the middle. Dwayne Bravo stayed for a while and scored 74 runs, but he too fell in the chase. In the end, Daren Sammy hit some lusty blows and scored a 20-ball half-century. He scored 58* off 24 balls with two fours and six maximums. But it wasn’t enough and they fell short by just 17 runs.
1. Chris Gayle (19-ball) against England (Fastest fifty for West Indies in ODI)
The fastest fifty for the West Indies can be hit by only one man, and that is Chris Gayle. He is a beast when it comes to batting in the game of cricket. He hit a 19-ball fifty against England at Gros Islet. Batting first, the English team had a poor performance. They got all out for just 113 runs in 28.1 overs. Oshane Thomas picked up 5/21 in 5.1 overs.
It was never going to be a difficult task for West Indies and that’s what they did in chase. Chris Gayle came out to finish the game in a hurry and started hitting the boundaries from the first ball. He hit a 19-ball fifty and scored 77 off 27 balls, including five fours and nine sixes. However, he got out just before the finish. However, West Indies won that match by seven wickets and 227 balls to spare.
List of West Indies Fastest 50 in ODI Cricket
Player | Inns Score | Balls for 50 | 6s | 4s | Against | Venue | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chris Gayle | 77 | 19 ball | 9 | 5 | England | Gros Islet | 02/03/2019 |
Daren Sammy | 58* | 20 ball | 6 | 2 | South Africa | Antigua | 24/05/2010 |
Brain Lara | 73 | 23 ball | 4 | 5 | Canada | Centurion | 23/02/2003 |
Kieron Pollard | 60 | 23 ball | 4 | 5 | Netherlands | Delhi | 28/02/2011 |
Wavell HInds | 64 | 24 ball | 3 | 10 | Canada | Centurion | 23/02/2003 |
Shimron Hetmyer | 50 | 25 ball | 3 | 4 | Bangladesh | Taunton | 17/06/2019 |