Fastest 50 in ODI by Pakistan

The Pakistan team is one of the best in the white-ball format at the moment. They have had a very rich history in the ODI format. On February 11, 1973, Pakistan played their first ever ODI match against New Zealand in Lancaster Park, Christchurch. But the revolution came after winning the ODI World title in 1992 under the captaincy of Imran Khan.

Since then, Pakistan has been one of the toughest teams in the competition. They have many records in the history of ODIs. However, they have had some of the greatest batsmen of all time. But when it comes to scoring quick runs on a consistent basis, Shahid Afridi tops the chart. In this article, we will discuss the fastest fifty by a Pakistani player in ODI cricket.

3. Shahid Afridi (18 ball fifty) against Bangladesh

Shahid Afridi was one of the hardest hitters of the cricket ball that the game has ever seen. He tops the chart when it comes to playing cameos. The third fastest fifty for Pakistan came from the bat of Afridi against Bangladesh at Mirpur. It was the 8th match of the Asia Cup 2014. Batting first, Bangladesh posted a really good score of 326/3 in their 50 overs. Apart from the 150-run opening partnership, Anamul Haque made 100 runs.

In reply, Pakistan also had a decent start and both openers added 97 runs for the first wicket. Ahmed Shehzad (103), Mohammad Hafeez (52) and Fawad Alam (74) played some good innings. Needing 112 off the last 10 over, Shahid Afridi played a blinder of an innings. He hit a 18 ball half-century to seal the deal for Pakistan and ended up scoring 59 off 25 balls, including two fours and seven sixes. Pakistan chased down the target off the last ball and won it by three wickets.

2. Shahid Afridi (18 ball fifty) against Netherlands

Shahid Afridi is the only player in the history of ODI cricket to have three 18-ball half-centuries. The second fastest fifty for Pakistan was also made by Afridi against the Netherlands in the 10th match of the Champions Trophy 2002 in Colombo (SSC). After winning the toss, the Netherlands chose to bat first but had a horrible start. They got all out for just 136 runs in 50 overs. Afridi also took three wickets with the ball in that match. While chasing the small target, Pakistan got off to a flying start.

Both Imran Nazir (59) and Saeed Anwar (28) added 85 runs in 11.3 overs. However, after the fall of the first wicket, Afridi came to the crease needing just 52 runs to win. But guess what, he came and scored all those runs single-handedly. He took 18-runs for his half-century. Afridi scored 55* off 18 balls, including four boundaries and six maximums. Pakistan chased down the target in 16.2 overs and won the match by nine wickets.

1. Shahid Afridi (18-ball fifty) against Sri Lanka (Joint Third fastest in ODI cricket)

You might now believe that nine out of the top ten fastest fifty in Pakistan are under the name of Shahid Afridi. He was arguably the best hitter that Pakistan has produced in cricket. His first of the three 18-ball fiftys came against Sri Lanka at Nairobi (Gym). Notably, he scored the fastest century in this match off only 36 balls. After winning the toss, Sri Lanka bowled first.

Pakistan had a decent start and the skipper, Saeed Anwar, scored 115 off 120 balls. But the real cameo came from the bat of Shahid Afridi. He came and just opened all the floodgates. He reached his fifth in just 18 balls and didn’t stop there. Afridi went on to complete his century and one of the fastest centuries in ODI cricket. He scored 102 off 40 balls, including six boundaries and 11 maximums. 

Paksitan made 371/9 in their 50 overs. In reply, despite the century from Aravinda de Silva (122) and a few other contributions, Sri Lanka could only manage 289 and lost the match by 82 runs.

List of Fastest fifty by Pakistan in ODI cricket

Fastest 50 in ODI Team Wise