Top 10 Fastest Fifties in ODI – Updated 2025

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 top 10 fastest 50 in ODI.

How We Ranked the Fastest Fifties in ODI - Ranking Factors

In modern-day cricket, scoring the fastest fifties in ODI is not a unique record, where the batting conditions and mindset of batsmen have evolved over time about hitting the ball and scoring runs at a quick pace. We have ranked the fastest ODI fifty based on some ranking factors to rank them fairly and accurately. The ranking factors follow as:

• Balls Faced to Reach 50: The balls faced to reach the score of 50 is the primary factor for ranking the fastest fifties in ODI, where it tells the number of balls taken by the batsman to score a half-century in a particular match. The fewer number of balls taken by the batsman indicates a higher ranking for the same.
• Strike Rate During the Fifty: The strike rate of the batsman during the fifty shows the speed of the batsman in scoring the runs where especially focusing on how fast the fifty is scored, which helps distinguish between clean hitting and just boundary clusters, indicating the hitting abilities of the batsman.
• Match Situation / Pressure: The match situation helps in understanding the course of the match, where the batsman has scored the fastest ODI fifty, and whether the batsman has played the explosive knock during a high-pressure situation or has scored these runs in an easy situation of the match. The fastest fifty scored by a batsman under high pressure, e.g., during a tough chase or early collapse, ranks higher than scoring the same in a normal situation.
• Opponent Strength: The opponent strength shows the quality of opposition against whom the fastest score has been achieved, which involves the top-class bowling line-up with the likes of the world's best bowlers. The fastest fifty scored against the top-ranked teams or elite bowling attacks weighs more than scoring the same against a weak team with an inexperienced bowling line-up.
• Venue & Conditions: The venue and conditions of the match where the batsman has scored runs with explosive batting help in understanding whether the pitch of the venue suits batting or not, and even the playing conditions during the match are in favor of batting or bowling. This includes the pitch quality, ground size, and weather conditions, where a fast fifty on a bowler-friendly track is more valuable.
• Boundary Count: The boundary count is the number of 4s and 6s scored by the batsman during smashing the faster ODI fifty. When a batsman is scoring runs with an explosive mindset, it is more likely that the batsman scores the majority of runs through boundaries rather than singles and doubles, which adds up well to the player's total. It reflects the dominance and hitting quality of the batsman, where hitting more sixes in fewer balls adds weight.
• Impact on Match Result: The impact on the match result by scoring an explosive fifty in a match tells whether those quick runs have helped the side to put a match-winning impact or resulted in a vain attempt. This means that the impact on the match result should be in the form of turning the game around or sealing a win with the help of quickfire runs.
• Stage of the Match: The stage of the match tells the specific point of the match where this kind of innings has been played, where it involves the opening blitz, middle-order assault, or death-over cameo, and timing can elevate importance.
• Tournament or Match Type: The tournament or match type in which the fastest fifty has been scored tells the pressure on the player about the match and the situation in it. This involves the matches in the World Cup, Asia Cup, or ICC tournament, where the performances are more significant than bilateral series.
• Reputation of the Bowler Faced: The reputation of the bowler faced by the batsman tells the overall skills and ability of the player to smash a world-class bowler who has a good reputation as a bowler in the world of cricket. The Fifties scored by the batsman against world-class bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Kagiso Rabada, and Mitchell Starc deserve more recognition for scoring the fastest ODI fifty.

Top 10 Fastest 50s in ODI - Updated List 2025

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 top 10 fastest 50 in ODI, which includes players like AB de Villiers, Glen Maxwell, and even Shahid Afridi.

Who has the fastest 50 in ODI history?

Modern-day cricket has adopted a new style towards the game for scoring quickfire and smashing runs quickly, but still scoring the fastest fifties 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)

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. He 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.

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 of such is the fastest fifties in ODI cricket. He scored yet another fifty in 18 deliveries. He smashed 6 sixes and 4 fours to score an 18-ball 55 runs against the Netherlands.

8. Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)

Once again, Shahid Afridi is on the list for the fastest fifties 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.

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.

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.

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. He 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 fastest fifties in ODI.

Livingstone’s power was involved in a brilliant partnership with 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.

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.

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.

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. The current head coach has numerous batting records under his belt.

Among them, one is the fastest fifties 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.

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.

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.

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.