On Thursday in Nottingham’s Trent Bridge, England adopted an unusually aggressive batting approach and achieved the fastest fifty in Test cricket history at only 4.2 overs against West Indies.
The first day of the second test match witnessed this milestone where Ben Duckett scored 33 runs from 14 balls while Ollie Pope had an unbeaten score of 16 from 9 deliveries.
They together hit ten boundaries that ensured their team went past its previous record for a team fifty in four point three overs which was set against South Africa at The Oval in 1994.
England now holds the record for the top three quickest team fifties in Test cricket. Their third such fifty came against Sri Lanka, taking just five overs during a test game at Manchester’s Old Trafford ground back in 2002.
Pakistan have also reached a fifty within these many overs but they are behind Sri Lanka by point two.
Fastest team 50s in recorded Test cricket
- 4.2 – England vs WI, Nottingham, 2024
- 4.3 – England vs SA, The Oval, 1994
- 4.6 – England vs SL, Manchester, 2002
- 5.2 – Sri Lanka vs PAK, Karachi, 2004
- 5.3 – India vs ENG, Chennai, 2008
- 5.3 – India vs WI, Port of Spain, 2023
India is fifth among countries with faster scoring fifties than other nations during Tests as revealed by statistics provided on Saturday last week. In Tests alone though the Indian side has done it twice: they have registered openers making this feisty summation off just five point three deliveries versus England when those teams met halfway across the world and later staged again to play against West Indies during another series held there but some years later since that exciting moment already took place there and both sides knew each other well enough not having any chance whatsoever to surprise each other anymore.
With the fastest fifty in test cricket, England’s rally confirms their attacking batting strategy as well as demonstrates a trend in modern day cricket towards an increase in scoring rates of this format.
