Fastest Fifty in T20 World Cup

The ICC T20 World Cup is around the corner and most of the nations are engaged in preparations for the ICC event. All teams are preparing to find the right combination with a strong batting core before heading into the tournament. The next World Cup will be hosted in Australia, and the pitches here offer bounce and pace for the bowlers. But it also gives batsmen the chance to play their shots with bounce. So every team needs batters with great hand and eye coordination. 

However, speaking of the history of the World Cup, we have seen many extraordinary performances that have changed the whole scenario of the match. Especially some cameos from the batters that put their team in the driver’s seat. That is why every team looks for batsmen who can score quick runs. And for a batsman, scoring a half-century at a rapid pace is always not easy, but there are some instances when the batter went briserk and played some of the fastest innings in history. So in this article, we will see the fastest ever half-century hit by a batsman in the T20 World Cup.

4. Glenn Maxwell (18 balls) against Pakistan in the 2014 World Cup

There are three players who have hit the joint-third fastest fifty in just 18 balls. But the first was hit by Glenn Maxwell. This was the 16th match of the 2014 World Cup between Australia and Pakistan. Batting first, the Men in Green posted a really good score of 191/5 in their batting innings. Umar Akmal scored the highest, 94 off 54 balls.

Chasing the big target, Australia didn’t have a great start and lost their first two wickets for just 8 runs. But then, Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell added 118 runs for the third wicket. Finch made 65 off 54, but Maxwell was batting at another level. He struck his half-century in just 18 balls and played a blinder of 74 off 33 balls.In that match, he hit Bilawal Bhatti for 30 runs in one over. But in the end, Australia fell short by 16 runs and lost the match.

3. Stephan Myburgh (17 balls) against Ireland in 2014 World Cup

The second fastest fifty came in the 12th match of the 2014 event between Ireland and the Netherlands. Both teams played a powerful game in that match. Batting first, the Irish team posted a really good score of 189/4 in their 20 overs. Andrew Poynter (57 off 38) and Kevin O’Brian played a brilliant cameo of 42* off 16 balls.

Chasing a big target, the Netherlands openers came with a clear plan to hit the boundaries on the power-play. And they also succeed in doing so. They added 91 runs in the first six overs of the chase, courtesy of a brilliant half-century by Stephan Myburgh. He scored the second fastest fifty in the T20 World Cup history with just 17 balls and scored 63 off 23 balls. The Netherlands won the match and chased down the target with 37 balls to spare.

2. Marcus Stoinis (17 balls) against Sri Lanka in 2022 T20 World Cup

Marcus Stoinis hit Australia’s and his fastest 50 in T20I and T20 World cup in just 17 balls against Sri Lanka while chasing. He remained not out on 59 in just 18 balls with four 4s and six 6s.

1. Yuvraj Singh (12 balls) against England in 2007 World Cup

The fastest ever fifty came in the very first edition of the T20 World Cup in South Africa. This was the 21st match of the World Cup between India and England, which was a do-or-die game for both teams. After winning the toss, India chose to bat first and both openers gave the teams a really good start and added 136 runs for the first wicket. Sehwag made 68 and Gambhir made 58 runs. However, India lost three quick wickets after that and it brought Yuvraj Singh to the crease.

He was not at his best before that match. But in that match, he just set the ground on fire with a once-in-a-lifetime innings. He smashed the fastest fifty in an international match in just 12 balls. The southpaw also hit six sixes in an over of Stuart Broad in that match and scored 58 runs off just 16 balls at a strike rate of 362.50. India posted a big score of 218/4 and won the match by 18 runs.

List of Fastest 50 in T20 World Cup