World Cup T20 Fastest Fifty in History

It is just a few days away from the start of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, and most nations are preparing for the ICC event. There is a lot of preparation going on with all teams trying to find the right combination with a strong batting core before heading into the tournament. Australia is set to host the next World Cup, and the pitches here will provide the bowlers with the bounce and pace that they are looking for. As a result, it provides the batsmen with the opportunity to play their shots with a bit of bounce to them. There is no doubt that every team needs batters who are able to use both their hands and eyes effectively.

When it comes to the history of the World Cup, we have seen many exceptional performances that have changed the whole atmosphere of the match entirely, especially in the early stages of the tournament. It was especially pleasing to see some cameos from batters who were putting their teams in the driving seat during the game. In order to achieve that goal, every team looks for batsmen who are capable of scoring quick runs. It is not easy for a batsman to score a half-century at a rapid pace, but there have been some instances where the batters went berserk and played some of the fastest innings in the history of the game. The purpose of this article is to show you the fastest half-century ever scored by a batsman during the T20 World Cup.

Top Ten Fastest Half Century in the World Cup T20

Batsman	Team	Balls	Against	Year
Yuvraj Singh	India	12	England	2007
Stephan Myburgh	Netherlands	17	Ireland	2014
Glenn Maxwell	Australia	18	Pakistan	2014
KL Rahul	India	18	Scotland	2021
Shoaib Malik	Pakistan	18	Scotland	2021
M. Ashraful	Bangladesh	20	West Indies	2007
Yuvraj Singh	India	20	Australia	2007
Mahela Jayawardene	Sri Lanka	21	Kenya	2007
E Chigumbura	Zimbabwe	21	UAE	2014
Quinton De Kock	South Africa	21	England	2016

Yuvraj Singh (12 balls) against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup

During the very first edition of the T20 World Cup in South Africa, the fastest ever fifty was scored. There was no doubt that this was a do-or-die game between India and England, as it was the 21st match of the World Cup between these two teams. It was India who won the toss and chose to bat first. Both openers gave both teams a great start and they added 136 runs for the first wicket to give their teams a strong start. There were 68 runs scored by Sehwag and 58 runs scored by Gambhir. However, after that, India lost three quick wickets and Yuvraj Singh was brought to the crease for the remainder of the innings.

Prior to that match, he wasn’t at his best and wasn’t at his best. However, in that match, he just set the ground on fire with an innings that can only be compared to once in a lifetime. The fastest fifty in an international match in the history of the game was achieved by him in just 12 balls. During that match, the southpaw also hit six sixes in an over of Stuart Broad and scored 58 runs off just 16 deliveries at a strike rate of 362.50, marking him as one of the best players in the game. A big score of 218/4 was posted by India, and they were able to win the match by 18 runs.

Stephan Myburgh (17 balls) against Ireland in the 2014 T 20 World Cup

A second fastest fifty was recorded in the 12th match of the 2014 event between the Netherlands and Ireland. There was a lot of power in both teams’ games during that match. Batting first, the Irish team managed to post a very 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.

As the Netherlands approached a big goal, they came up with a clear plan to hit the boundaries. In addition to succeeding in doing so, they are also very successful in doing so. With Stephan Myburgh scoring an excellent half-century in the first six overs of the chase, the team added 91 runs in the first six overs of the chase. The second fastest fifty in the history of the T20 World Cup was scored by him with just 17 deliveries and he finished with 63 off 23 deliveries. As a result, the Netherlands won the match and reached the target with 37 balls to spare, completing the victory.

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

The joint third fastest fifty in just 18 balls was scored by three players, with each hitting the fifty in just 18 balls. However, Glenn Maxwell was the first to hit the ball. There was the 16th match between Australia and Pakistan in the 2014 World Cup which took place on Saturday. Having batted first in their batting innings, the Men in Green posted a really good score of 191/5 in their batting innings. The highest score was scored by Umar Akmal with 94 off 54 balls.

When Australia was chasing down the big target, they did not have a great start as they lost their first two wickets for just eight runs in the process. There were 118 runs added for the third wicket by Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell later in the innings. In his first innings, Finch scored 65 off 54 balls, but Maxwell was batting at a different level altogether. It took him just 18 balls to reach his half-century and he played a blinder of 74 off 33 balls in that match. In that match, he hit Bilawal Bhatti for 30 runs in a single over. At the end of the day, Australia fell 16 runs short of their goal and lost the match by 16 runs.

Kl Rahul (18 balls) against Scotland in the 2021 World Cup

The Indians defeated Scotland by 8 wickets (with 13.3 overs to spare) to win their second T20 World Cup and surpass New Zealand’s net run rate. In the chase for 86, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul got the side off to a blistering start as they brought up the fastest team half-century to take the side to 53/0 after four overs in pursuit of 86. KL Rahul was the first to reach half a century after Rohit Sharma was dismissed on 30.

Shoaib Malik (18 balls) against Scotland in the 2021 T20 World Cup

On Sunday, November 7, Pakistan maintained its 100 percent record at the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a comprehensive victory over Scotland in Dubai as the team maintained their 100% record. By winning this match, Pakistan also set up a semi-final clash against Australia which will be played on Thursday, November 11, at the same venue as the earlier match.

During his 66-run innings for the Men in Green, Pakistan captain Babar Azam – who has scored several half-centuries in the tournament so far – hit five fours and three sixes during his knock to anchor their innings and score the first half-century for Pakistan.

The team was led by Shoaib Malik after Azam was dismissed and he thumped the Scottish leg-spinner, Chris Greaves, for 26 runs in the last over of the innings. It was a quick-fire 54 not out for Malik, in which he hit six sixes and one four.

M Ashraful (20 balls) against Westindies in the 2007 T20 World Cup

For Bangladesh to qualify for the Super 8s of the first World T20, they needed to score 165 runs. As their score was 28 for 2 at the end of the over, Ashraful took up the guard and began to hit two streaky fours off Daren Powell before bringing up two more effective strikes to end the over. There were then two fours and a six that came off Dwayne Bravo’s first over as Ashraful showed off the benefits of the commando training the team had done prior to the competition. The fastest T20 fifty of all time was achieved by Ashraful when he holed out Fidel Edwards over fine leg for 6 more runs.

Y Singh (20 balls) against Australia in the 2007 T20 World Cup

During the 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa, Yuvraj Singh was part of the Indian team that won the competition with an impressive all-round performance. It is worth mentioning that the decorated cricketer himself displayed some impressive clean striking in that tournament by scoring the match-winning innings against England in the Super 8s and against Australia in the semi-finals. Yuvraj Singh smashed the Australian bowlers with a 30-ball 70 during the second of these two tests, to stockpile an innings that will remain etched in fans’ minds for a long time to come.

It was on the 22nd of September itself that India defeated Australia in the semi-final of the inaugural T20 World Cup at Kingsmead, Durban, which took place on September 22. This year marks the 13th anniversary of India’s memorable win over the then ODI World Champions Australia, and here we take a closer look at the highlights of Yuvraj Singh’s fireworks during that match.