Fastest Fifties in ODI History

Fastest ODI Fifties

Player	Team	Balls taken to 50	Final Score	Against	Venue	Date
AB de Villiers	South Africa	16	149	West Indies	Johannesburg	18 Jan 2015
Matthew Forde	West Indies	16	58	Ireland	Dublin	23 May 2025
Sanath Jayasuriya	Sri Lanka	17	76	Pakistan	Singapore	07 Apr 1996
Kusal Perera	Sri Lanka	17	68	Pakistan	Pallekele	15 Jul 2015
Martin Guptill	New Zealand	17	93	Sri Lanka	Christchurch	28 Dec 2015
Liam Livingstone	England	17	66*	Netherlands	Amstelveen	17 Jun 2022
Simon O’Donnell	Australia	18	74	Sri Lanka	Sharjah	02 May 1990
Shahid Afridi	Pakistan	18	102	Sri Lanka	Nairobi	04 Oct 1996
Shahid Afridi	Pakistan	18	55*	Netherlands	Colombo	21 Sep 2002
Glenn Maxwell	Australia	18	60	India	Bangalore	02 Nov 2013
Shahid Afridi	Pakistan	18	59	Bangladesh	Mirpur	04 Mar 2014
Brendon McCullum	New Zealand	18	77	England	Wellington	20 Feb 2015
Aaron Finch	Australia	18	55	Sri Lanka	Dambulla	31 Aug 2016
Michael Leask	Scotland	18	55	Papua New Guinea	Dubai (DSC)	13 Apr 2022

Key Insights – Fastest Fifties in ODI Cricket

Fastest Overall: The record for the fastest fifty in ODI cricket is shared by AB de Villiers and Matthew Forde, both reaching the milestone in just 16 balls. De Villiers achieved this against the West Indies in 2015, while Forde did it against Ireland in 2025.

Captain & Wicketkeeper: De Villiers’ 16-ball fifty is also the fastest ever by a captain and a wicketkeeper in an ODI inning.

Related Records: In that same record-breaking match, de Villiers went on to score the fastest-ever ODI hundred, taking just 31 balls (Check the top ten here). This explosive innings helped South Africa post their highest team total in ODIs: 439 for 2. A month later, de Villiers also hit the fastest-ever ODI 150, off just 64 balls, against the same opponent at the 2015 World Cup.

Tournament Records

World Cup: Brendon McCullum holds the record for the fastest fifty in an ODI World Cup, scoring his half-century off 18 balls against England in 2015.
Champions Trophy: Shahid Afridi holds the record for the fastest fifty in a Champions Trophy, achieving his in 18 balls against the Netherlands in 2002.

Most Fast Fifties: Shahid Afridi has the most ODI fifties scored in 20 or fewer balls, with six such instances. He also holds the record for scoring half-centuries in 22 or fewer balls against the most different teams (seven).

Associate Nations: Michael Leask holds the record for the fastest fifty by an associate batter, reaching the mark in 18 deliveries against Papua New Guinea in 2022.

By Batting Position: The joint-fastest fifty by an opener belongs to Sanath Jayasuriya and Kusal Perera, both of whom scored a fifty off 17 balls for Sri Lanka.

Highest Team Total: Liam Livingstone’s 17-ball fifty helped England to the highest-ever ODI total: 498 for 4 against the Netherlands in 2022.

Saurabh Chede

Saurabh is a cricket enthusiast who crafts content around the sport. Being from a cricket-crazy nation, he developed an unbreakable bond with the sport. When he's not watching cricket, you'll find him creating funny memes or watching old TMKOC episodes!