Fastest Fifties in PSL | PSL Fastest Fifties List

The sixth season of the Pakistan Super League is all set to begin on February 20, 2021. This will be the second time that the whole league will be played entirely in Pakistan. As the six teams, Lahore Qalandars, Karachi Kings, Multan Sultans, Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United gear up to clash against each other in the 34-match tournament, we will look back at the fastest fifties which have been scored in the league’s history. 

Over the five seasons of the league, there have been many power-hitters who have played in the league and shown their batting brilliance. The record for the fastest fifty has been held by explosive batsmen, who reached their fifties in 17 balls. At first, it is the veteran Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal who played a gem of an innings in the 2018 season.

During the playoffs of the 2018 season, Akmal playing for Peshawar Zalmi smashed a 17-ball half-century at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. He ended with a 27-ball 77. During that knock, he hit five fours and eight sixes. 

In the very next season, it seemed like Akmal’s record was in danger when Asif Ali, while playing for Islamabad United went into full carnage mode at the National Stadium in Karachi. The hard-hitting batsman smashed three fours and six sixes in a knock where the bowlers kept taking punch after punch. He ended with an unbeaten 21-ball 55.

There have been other instances where a few other batsmen have got closer to breaking Akmal’s record. Interestingly, Kamran went on to get a 20-ball fifty in the 2020 season. At one point in that innings, it had seemed that he might either break or equal his own record. Former New Zealand player Luke Ronchi has 19-ball 50, which was the fastest fifty before Akmal broke the record and scored his 17-ball fifty.

Ronchi had played that firing knock in the 2018 edition. England batsman James Vince has a 20-ball fifty too which is the fifth-fastest half-century in the league’s history. He also shared that record with the West Indian Kieron Pollard. 

Fastest fifties in PSL history