AB de Villiers holds the record for the fastest ODI fifty, achieved in just 16 balls during his 149-run innings against West Indies in 2015. Close behind is Matthew Forde of West Indies, who recently matched the 16-ball feat against Ireland in 2025. The list features aggressive batters like Glenn Maxwell, Shahid Afridi, and Sanath Jayasuriya, all achieving fifties in 17-18 balls. Modern ODI cricket continues to favor rapid scoring, with pitch conditions and aggressive batting styles enabling such explosive performances. Each entry highlights the blend of power-hitting and match impact that defines the fastest fifty in ODI history.
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Top 10 Players With Fastest Fifty in ODI – Updated 2025

Summary
White ball cricket has evolved a lot in recent years. There have been a lot of shifts and changes in regulations that have made the game easier for the batters. Batters have become more and more aggressive as the game keeps evolving. The pitches also support the batters nowadays. The point of reverse swing has vanished since the inception of two balls in ODI cricket.
As the ball remains hard throughout the 50 overs, it perishes lots of runs. On a balanced wicket, 300+ scores are also not safe now, as they can be chased down easily. Despite the changes, achieving certain milestones has not been easy for the batters. Especially scoring fifties under 20-25 deliveries. It takes a risk to score the early runs while batting aggressively in the 50-over format. Here in this article, we take a look at the fastest fifty in ODI history.
Fastest Fifty in ODI - Updated List
Nowadays, there are many players who have the ability to hit the ball well and show exceptional performances in the ODI format. Here is the list of the fastest fifty in ODI history, which includes players like AB de Villiers, Glen Maxwell, and even Shahid Afridi.
Rank | Player | Balls for 50 | Runs | Match | Venue | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | AB de Villiers | 16 | 149 | South Africa vs West Indies | Johannesburg | 18/01/2015 |
2 | Matthew Forde | 16 | 58 | West Indies vs Ireland | Dublin | 23/05/2025 |
3 | Sanath Jayasuriya | 17 | 76 | Sri Lanka vs Pakistan | Singapore | 07/04/1996 |
4 | Kusal Perera | 17 | 68 | Sri Lanka vs Pakistan | Pallekele | 15/07/2015 |
5 | Martin Guptill | 17 | 93 | New Zealand vs Sri Lanka | Christchurch | 28/12/2015 |
6 | Liam Livingstone | 17 | 66* | England vs Netherlands | Amstelveen | 17/06/2022 |
7 | Simon O'Donnell | 18 | 74 | Australia vs Sri Lanka | Sharjah | 02/05/1990 |
8 | Shahid Afridi | 18 | 102 | Pakistan vs Sri Lanka | Nairobi | 04/10/1996 |
9 | Shahid Afridi | 18 | 55* | Pakistan vs Netherlands | Colombo | 21/09/2002 |
10 | Glenn Maxwell | 18 | 60 | Australia vs India | Bangalore | 02/11/2013 |
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Who has the Fastest Half Century in ODI?
Modern-day cricket has adopted a new style towards the game for scoring quickfire and smashing runs quickly, but still scoring the fastest fifty in ODI is not an easy task, where the player has to hold the pressure and utilize the hitting abilities appropriately. Here are the players who have a record of scoring the fastest 50 in ODI history under their name.
10. Glenn Maxwell (Australia)
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Glenn Maxwell has been the best shorter-format cricketer for Australia. The explosive middle-order batter has been known for his aggressive strokes and hard-hitting. He has been a nightmare for the bowlers, especially the spinners. Finisher Glenn Maxwell entertains the fans with his unconventional stroke play and has always lit up the spectators with some amazing shots.
One such entertaining innings of Maxwell was witnessed at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. In the game against India, he got a fifty in double quick time, in just 18 balls. His fantastic knock ended with a 22-ball 60. Eventually, Australia lost the match in the series decider.
Attribute | Details |
---|---|
Runs Scored | 60 |
Balls for 50 | 18 |
Balls Faced (Total) | 22 |
Strike Rate | 272.72 |
4s / 6s | 3 / 7 |
Batting Position | No. 6 |
Innings Played | 2nd (Chase) |
Match Result | India won by 57 runs |
Opponent | India |
Venue | Bangalore |
Date | 02/11/2013 |
Match Format | Bilateral ODI |
Man of the Match | No |
9. Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)

Shahid Afridi proved to be a nightmare for the bowlers. Despite starting his career as an opener, he was later shifted down to the middle order, where he was more comfortable, and his small cameos and explosive batting prowess helped Pakistan to win games. The all-rounder has always taken the upper hand when he is in full flow.
Afridi has numerous batting records to his name. One such is the fastest fifty in ODI cricket and has the most sixes in ODI cricket. He scored yet another fifty in 18 deliveries. He smashed 6 sixes and 4 fours to score an 18-ball 55 against the Netherlands.
Attribute | Details |
---|---|
Runs Scored | 55* |
Balls for 50 | 18 |
Balls Faced (Total) | 18 |
Strike Rate | 305.55 |
4s / 6s | 4 / 6 |
Batting Position | No. 3 |
Innings Played | 2nd (Chase) |
Match Result | Pakistan won by 9 wickets |
Opponent | Netherlands |
Venue | Colombo |
Date | 21/09/2002 |
Match Format | ICC Champions Trophy |
Man of the Match | Yes |
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8. Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)

Once again, Shahid Afridi is on the list for the fastest fifty in ODI cricket. Shahid Afridi has been on the list of fastest fifties in ODI a good number of times, which is also the most by any batter in the fastest 50s in ODI. Afridi was the first batter to score the fastest hundred in ODI cricket. He held the record for many years, but it was then broken in 2014 by Corey Anderson for the first time, and is currently held by AB de Villiers.
This time, the fastest fifty was scored against the mighty Sri Lanka. In the very same innings, he also smashed the then-fastest hundred in ODI cricket. He scored his fifty again in 18 balls. He hit 6 fours and 11 sixes to score a 40-ball 102. This was scored in 1996 in Nairobi.
Attribute | Details |
---|---|
Runs Scored | 102 |
Balls for 50 | 18 |
Balls Faced (Total) | 40 |
Strike Rate | 255.00 |
4s / 6s | 6 / 11 |
Batting Position | No. 3 |
Innings Played | 1st |
Match Result | Pakistan won by 82 runs |
Opponent | Sri Lanka |
Venue | Nairobi |
Date | 04/10/1996 |
Match Format | KCA Centenary Cup |
Man of the Match | Yes |
7. Simon O’Donnell (Australia)

The multi-talented Australian cricketer started his career as an Australian Rules footballer. Later on, he shifted his full focus to cricket. He was a valuable all-rounder in the Australian one-day team. He was a member of the surprising World Cup-winning side in 1987. He mostly batted in the lower-middle order for the side and was known for his aggressive batting technique.
Back in 1990, he smashed the fastest 50 in ODI cricket. This was the first time that any batter scored a half-century under 20 deliveries. He played an explosive knock of 74 runs off 29 balls against Sri Lanka. He got his fifty in just 18 balls.
Attribute | Details |
---|---|
Runs Scored | 74 |
Balls for 50 | 18 |
Balls Faced (Total) | 29 |
Strike Rate | 255.17 |
4s / 6s | 4 / 6 |
Batting Position | No. 4 |
Innings Played | 1st |
Match Result | Australia won by 114 runs |
Opponent | Sri Lanka |
Venue | Sharjah |
Date | 02/05/1990 |
Match Format | Austral-Asia Cup |
Man of the Match | Yes |
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6. Liam Livingstone (England)

Liam Livingstone is one of the finest limited-over batters for England. The fiery middle-order batter has been a key member of England’s white-ball side. He has lots of raw power and the ability to demolish strong bowling attacks. Explosive batter Liam Livingstone is also an outstanding fielder and a decent spinner who could turn the ball both ways. This is the reason he makes the list for the fastest fifties in ODI.
Livingstone’s power was involved in a brilliant partnership with former skipper Jos Buttler in the game against the Netherlands. He remained unbeaten with the score of 66 runs off 22 balls as England set the highest-ever ODI innings total against the Dutch. They scored 498 runs in their 50 overs.
Attribute | Details |
---|---|
Runs Scored | 66* |
Balls for 50 | 17 |
Balls Faced (Total) | 22 |
Strike Rate | 300.00 |
4s / 6s | 6 / 6 |
Batting Position | No. 6 |
Innings Played | 1st |
Match Result | England won by 232 runs |
Opponent | Netherlands |
Venue | Amstelveen |
Date | 17/06/2022 |
Match Format | Bilateral Series |
Man of the Match | No |
5. Martin Guptill (New Zealand)

Martin Guptill is one of the finest openers for New Zealand in the white ball format. The former Kiwi opener has the highest individual score in World Cup history. Guptill scored an incredible unbeaten 237 against the West Indies in 2015. This showcases his prowess in the white ball format. He was a key member of the side for the 2015 and 2019 World Cups.
Guptill also had the chance to score the fastest hundred in the ODI format, but there were not enough runs for the team to chase. He has the record for scoring the 5th fastest fifty in ODI. He scored in just 17 balls and played a knock of 93* in just 30 balls.
Attribute | Details |
---|---|
Runs Scored | 93 |
Balls for 50 | 17 |
Balls Faced (Total) | 30 |
Strike Rate | 310.00 |
4s / 6s | 9 / 8 |
Batting Position | No. 1 (Opener) |
Innings Played | 2nd (Chase) |
Match Result | New Zealand won by 10 wickets |
Opponent | Sri Lanka |
Venue | Christchurch |
Date | 28/12/2015 |
Match Format | Bilateral ODI |
Man of the Match | Yes |
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4. Kusal Perera (Sri Lanka)

Kusal Perera is the backbone of Sri Lanka across all formats of the game. He has been their star batter in recent times. The Southpaw continued to play impactful innings on the side. His one-man innings against South Africa in the test helped the side to win the test and later the series against the Proteas. In T20Is, he has also been successful.
The left-handed batter equalled his idol Sanath Jayasuriya’s record of getting to a fifty in 17 balls. He was the second Sri Lankan to achieve the milestone. He played a knock of 68 runs against Pakistan.
Attribute | Details |
---|---|
Runs Scored | 68 |
Balls for 50 | 17 |
Balls Faced (Total) | 25 |
Strike Rate | 272.00 |
4s / 6s | 13 / 2 |
Batting Position | No. 1 (Opener) |
Innings Played | 2nd (Chase) |
Match Result | Sri Lanka won by 2 wickets |
Opponent | Pakistan |
Venue | Pallekele |
Date | 15/07/2015 |
Match Format | Bilateral ODI |
Man of the Match | Yes |
3. Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka)

Sanath Jayasuriya changed the dynamics of opening in One-Day Cricket alongside his opening partner, Romesh Kaluwitharana. He, along with his partner, took the strategy to take advantage of the early fielding restrictions by smashing the opening bowlers. He remained one of the fiercest openers of his era and is a batsman who has scored one of the most runs in ODI. The current head coach has numerous batting records under his belt.
Among them, one is the fastest fifty in ODI. He made it in 17 balls against Pakistan back in the 1996 Singer Cup final. Jayasuriya made 76 runs in just 28 balls. He kept the record for nearly two decades before being broken by any batter.
Attribute | Details |
---|---|
Runs Scored | 76 |
Balls for 50 | 17 |
Balls Faced (Total) | 28 |
Strike Rate | 271.42 |
4s / 6s | 8 / 5 |
Batting Position | No. 1 (Opener) |
Innings Played | 2nd (Chase) |
Match Result | Pakistan won by 43 runs |
Opponent | Pakistan |
Venue | Singapore |
Date | 07/04/1996 |
Match Format | Singer Cup |
Man of the Match | No |
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2. Matthew Forde (West Indies)

Matthew Forde, a young West Indian player, who has just entered international cricket and has played less number of matches as of now, but has announced his arrival in the international set up by scoring the second fastest fifty in ODI history. He took only 16 balls to reach a score of fifty runs, where he smashed 8 sixes and 2 fours, depicting his explosive batting abilities and that too in the lower batting order.
He made a total of 58 runs in 19 balls against Ireland, where he batted at a strike rate of 305.26. Unfortunately, the result was a No Result, but he showed his class in hitting the ball out of the ground and kept the legacy of hard-hitting batsmen of the West Indies. He is looking to show his worth in the near future in international cricket.
Attribute | Details |
---|---|
Runs Scored | 58 |
Balls for 50 | 16 |
Balls Faced (Total) | 19 |
Strike Rate | 305.26 |
4s / 6s | 2 / 8 |
Batting Position | No. 8 |
Innings Played | 1st |
Match Result | No Result |
Opponent | Ireland |
Venue | Dublin |
Date | 23/05/2025 |
Match Format | Bilateral ODI |
Man of the Match | - |
1. AB de Villiers (South Africa)

Cricket’s ‘MR.360’ has been known for its wide and unorthodox range of shots. This is the reason he was given the name. He dominated limited-over cricket and was a nightmare for all bowlers. The Proteas scored 9577 runs at an average of 53.51 and also had an average of more than fifty in the test matches as well. He has never won a single trophy in his career.
AB de Villiers has been listed in most of the batting records. He has the record for scoring the fastest hundred in ODI, and in the very same match, he scored the fastest fifty in ODI history. He scored the half-century in just 16 balls. He scored 149 runs against the West Indies.
Attribute | Details |
---|---|
Runs Scored | 149 |
Balls for 50 | 16 |
Balls Faced (Total) | 44 |
Strike Rate | 338.63 |
4s / 6s | 9 / 16 |
Batting Position | No. 3 |
Innings Played | 1st |
Match Result | South Africa won by 148 runs |
Opponent | West Indies |
Venue | Johannesburg |
Date | 18/01/2015 |
Match Format | Bilateral Series |
Man of the Match | Yes |
Who has the Fastest 50s in ODI 2025?
The game of cricket has been played at a different level in 2025, where many renowned batsmen have scored quick runs in the different formats of the game, but there is no famous cricketer to achieve the record of the fastest 50 in ODI. A young West Indies batsman, Matthew Forde, has scored the fastest 50 in ODI 2025, where he smashed a half-century in just 16 balls against Ireland, where he was batting at the lower order, at the 8th position. He played according to the situation of the match, where he smashed 8 sixes and 2 fours during the end of the innings, where these runs are meant to be very crucial. Matthew Forde has made his name in the world of cricket, and he will be looking forward to maintaining a similar kind of reputation in the near future for West Indies cricket.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who has the fastest 50 in ODI history?
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Who has the fastest 50 in ODI history?
AB de Villiers and Matthew Forde have the fastest 50 in ODI history.
Who has the fastest 50 wicket in ODI history?
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Who has the fastest 50 wicket in ODI history?
Ajantha Mendis, a Sri Lankan bowler, has the fastest 50 wicket in ODI history.
Who has the fastest 50 in T20I history?
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Who has the fastest 50 in T20I history?
Dipendra Singh Airee has the fastest 50 in T20I history which was scored in just 9 balls.
Who has the fastest 50 in ODI 2025?
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Who has the fastest 50 in ODI 2025?
Matthew Forde has the fastest 50 in ODI 2025.
Who made the fastest 100 in ODI?
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Who made the fastest 100 in ODI?
AB de Villiers has made the fastest 100 in ODI.
Who is the fastest 50 in IPL?
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Who is the fastest 50 in IPL?
Yashasvi Jaiswal has scored the fastest 50 in IPL, which was scored in just 13 balls.
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