Top 10 Fastest Fifty in Test Cricket

Test cricket has seen considerable changes in recent years. Previously, players thought of drawing the Test match rather than winning it; now, the format has seen a rise in aggressive intent, particularly from batters. With the rise of modern attacking techniques and fearless mindsets, even the longest format of the game is being played at a much faster pace. Here in this article, we take a look at the top 10 cricketers with the fastest fifty in test cricket.

List of Fastest Fifty in Test Cricket

Even though test cricket is usually slow and long, however, there are many incidents when a battle scores quick half-centuries, making the game exciting. It also changes the match quickly and gives energy to the game. Here is the list of the top 10 fastest half century in test:

Who Has Scored Fastest 50 In Test Cricket?

Test cricket, often regarded as the most traditional and challenging format of the game. Among these feats, one of the most thrilling is the fastest fifty, scoring 50 runs in the fewest number of balls. Unlike in T20Is or ODIs, where fast scoring is common, doing so in Tests demands immense skill as the red ball is swinging, spinning, or changing conditions requires a lot of courage. Here are the players who hold this record:

10. Chris Gayle | 28 balls vs New Zealand

Chris Gayle is known as the ‘Universe Boss’. He was known for his aggressive batting style and was a nightmare for any bowler. The Big Man from Jamaica also has a sensational record in Test cricket. He holds the record for scoring one of the fastest half century in test. He did it in 28 balls against New Zealand and ended with a score of 80 runs off 46 deliveries. This test innings showed the consistency of Chris Gayle's attacking play even in the longest format of the game.

9. Mohammad Yousuf | 27 balls vs South Africa

Mohammad Yousuf was one of the finest batters for Pakistan in Test cricket, who also changed his name from Yousuf Youhana. His ability to bat as long as and play big innings. Mohammad Yousuf has scored 7530 runs for Pakistan at an amazing average of 52.29. Despite being known for his patience and playing long innings. He came out of his style and scored a fifty of just 27 deliveries against South Africa in 2003. This has been recorded as the third fastest fifty in Test cricket by any Pakistani batter.

8. Shahid Afridi | 26 balls vs India

Shahid Afridi proved to be a nightmare for the bowlers. He remained a solid striker of the ball throughout his career. Most of the fans remember him for his fiery knocks in limited limited-overs format. But he played a sensational knock against India in the 2005 tour. The former Pakistan scored a 26-ball fifty against the Men in Blue in Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium in the red-ball game. This demonstrated in his career that his striking ability is not limited only to white ball cricket, but he is a fiery batter in Test cricket as well.

7. Dale Steyn | 26 balls vs West Indies

Dale Steyn, one of the best South African bowlers, left an indelible mark during his stint in international cricket. He was one of the finest bowlers with the red ball and could swing the ball both ways. But Dale Steyn also has a record with his bat. He turned the tables with the bat during the Boxing Day Test against the West Indies in Port Elizabeth in 2014. Steyn smashed a half-century in just 26 balls, etching his name among the fastest fifties in Test history. He is the only fast bowler to have been named in this elite list of batters to score fastest fifties in Test cricket.

6. Mohammad Ashraful | 26 balls vs India

Mohammad Ashraful started his career at the age of 17. He was one of the best talents of Bangladesh, but could not live up to the expectations. However, Ashraful has scored the fastest fifty in Test and ODI for any Bangladeshi cricketer. He also ranks in the 6th position for scoring the fastest fifty in Test history. The fastest half century in Test came against India, in a dead match in which India had already made it home. During a follow-on, he scored a half-century in just 26 balls and joint this elite list.

5. Shane Shillingford | 25 balls vs New Zealand

Shane Shillingford, the off-spinner, made headlines during a game against New Zealand in Kingston. He did the impossible as he scored 53 runs as a number 11 batter. In that innings, he scored the fastest fifty by a West Indies batter in test cricket. He smashed a fastest fifty in just 25 balls. However, his international career did not last long, and soon he was dropped from the side.

4. Jacques Kallis | 24 balls vs Zimbabwe

Jacques Kallis is considered to be one of the best cricketers in the world. He is the only Protea cricketer in the history of the game to score more than 10,000 runs and take over 250 wickets in both ODI and Test match cricket. He had several records under his name across the formats while playing for South Africa, one of them was when he scored one of the fastest 50 in Test cricket against Zimbabwe. He reached his fifty in just 24 balls. This explosive innings was completely out of character for someone known for his calm and composed batting style.

3. Ben Stokes | 24 balls vs West Indies

Ben Stokes is one of the best all-rounder in the world across the formats. Ben Stokes changed the dynamics of Test cricket, along with England's head coach Brendon McCullum, who started a new dawn of playing aggressive cricket. One such innings of Ben Stokes came in the game against the West Indies as he opened the innings alongside Ben Duckett and scored the fastest fifty in Test cricket. He scored in 24 balls and ended up scoring 57 runs.

2. David Warner | 23 balls vs Pakistan

David Warner has been one of the most explosive openers and a consistent performer for the Kangaroos across all three formats of the game. He has been exceptional as an opener in red-ball cricket especially. The Southpaw has the record for scoring the fastest half-century in the Test in just 23 balls. He smashed a half-century against Pakistan in 2017 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. This demonstrated David Warner's career across formats for the Aussies, and he has been a legend of the game.

1. Misbah-ul-Haq | 21 balls vs Australia

Misbah-ul-Haq has been one of the finest Pakistani cricketers. Misbah's talent was not limited only to white ball cricket, but he has been an amazing red ball player for the country as well. In 2014, he made a Test century off 56 deliveries against Australia in Abu Dhabi, equaling the fastest one of that time by Viv Richards. In this innings, he scored the fastest fifty in Test cricket in just 21 balls.

Which Other Cricketers Have Scored Fastest Fifties In Test Cricket?

Many players also scored fastest fifties in Test cricket, but they weren't able to make it into the top 10 list. Here is a list of the top 5 players who miss the top 10 chart of fastest 50 in Test cricket.

5. Tim Southee | 29 balls vs England

Tim Southee has been known for his exceptional outswing bowling. Southee has been a name that has been shocking in the list, with him being the lower-order batter who has smashed one of the most sixes in test cricket. He also has another record with the bat. He is the only Kiwi cricketer to smash the fastest fifty in terms of balls taken. Tim Southee has smashed the fastest fifty in Test cricket in just 29 balls against England, which made him be on this elite list.

4. Rishabh Pant | 28 balls vs Sri Lanka

Rishabh Pant has established himself as the match-winner for India across formats. He has been one of the finest middle-order batters for India in the red-ball format in recent times. Rishabh Pant has the record for the fastest fifty in Test cricket by an Indian. The flamboyant wicket-keeper batter has scored a fifty off 28 balls against Sri Lanka, showing his power hitting in the red-ball format. He has been a clutch player for the Indian cricket team in the longest format of the game.

3. Sir Ian Botham | 28 balls vs India

Sir Ian Botham has been one of the finest English cricketers of all time. One of his aggressive batting approaches was seen in Delhi in the game against India, where he smashed the fastest fifty in just 28 balls. He was also a part of England's team that finished twice as runners-up at the 1979 Cricket World Cup and the 1992 Cricket World Cup. Botham was an aggressive right-handed batsman and, as a right-arm fast-medium bowler, was noted for his swing bowling.

2. Colin de Grandhomme | 28 balls vs Sri Lanka

Colin de Grandhomme has been an explosive all-rounder for New Zealand. He has showcased his prowess mainly in the limited-overs format of the game. He showed his batting prowess in a Test match as well, scoring the fastest 50 in test. He did it in 28 balls against Sri Lanka. He was highly rated by New Zealand cricket for his explosive, aggressive batting abilities and medium pace bowling as well.

1. E.A.V. Williams | 28 balls vs England

E.A.V. Williams, better known as Foffie Williams, played only four Test matches for West Indies. But among those four matches, he made his impact in the traditional format of the game. He was the first batter to score the fastest 50 in Test cricket in terms of balls taken. He scored the half-century in just 28 balls against England.