History books often get revamped when it comes to Ranji Trophy Plate Group. Vaibhav Suryavanshi of Bihar became the youngest Ranji Trophy player ever, Kashyap Bakle and Snehal Kauthankar (Goa) set up the highest-ever Ranji Trophy (606-run) partnership. This time, a world record has been made.
Well, Meghalaya’s Akash Kumar has hit the fastest fifty not just in Ranji Trophy history but in first-class cricket history. He hammered a 11-ball half-century against Arunachal Pradesh in the ongoing fourth round of the Ranji Trophy elite group. Spectacularly, he even hit six sixes in an over.
Fastest Fifty in First class history
Meghalaya were already in ascendancy when Akash came to bat at number eight. The scoreboard read 576/6 but just a couple of overs led to a frustrating end to the innings for AP bowlers. Hitting 8 sixes, including 6 sixes in 6 balls to Limar Dabi, Akash completed his fifty in just 11 balls, which is now the all-time record.
He has broken Wayne White’s record, who hammered a 12-ball fifty for Leicestershire while playing in the County Championship in 2012. Among Indians, Bandeep Singh held the record when he took 15 balls to reach the milestone while playing for Jammu & Kashmir. Following Akash’s blistkrieg, Meghalaya declared their score at 628/6. Superbly, Akash also took the new ball and took the first wicket for his side as Arunachal find themselves in massive trouble as they trail by 593 runs at the time of writing.
| Balls | Player | Team | Opposition | Venue (City, Country) | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Akash Kumar | Meghalaya | Arunchal Pradesh | Surat | 2025 |
| 12 | Wayne White | Leicestershire | Essex | Grace Road, Leicester | 2012 |
| 13 | MK van Vuuren | Eastern Province B | Griqualand West | Standard Cricket Club Ground, Cradock | 1984/85 |
| 14 | EJH Eckersley | Leicestershire | Essex | Grace Road, Leicester | 2012 |
| 15 | Khalid Mahmood | Gujranwala | Sargodha | Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala | 2000/01 |
| 15 | Bandeep Singh | Jammu & Kashmir | Tripura | Tripura Institute, Agartala | 2015/16 |
