BBC SPORT | ENGLAND | Rating Flintoff's fast 50

By BBC Sport Online's Thrasy Petropoulos

Impressive as Andrew Flintoff was during his blistering 75 from 44 balls against New Zealand, his effort pales into insignificance next to some of the other performances in the list of fastest Test 50s.

In terms of balls faced, only Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, Hansie Cronje and Viv Richards have struck faster half-centuries.

Botham's record 26-ball half-century in Delhi in 1981came at a time when England were well set at 368-4.

The all-rounder contributed 66 in a 91-run fifth wicket partnership with Chris Tavare.

His whirlwind effort came straight after Keith Fletcher's more sedate 51 from 107 deliveries.

Hidden within the bald facts of Kapil Dev's 30-ball effort, however, is that he came to bat with India, having been put in, struggling at 70 for five on the opening day.

Former India all-rounder Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev appears in the list three times
Of the 99 runs they were able to add for the last five wickets against an attack of Imran Khan, Sarfraz Nawaz and Abdul Qadir, Kapil accounted for 73 of them from 54 balls.

Perhaps even more remarkable is that it was the second time Kapil's lightning had struck against Pakistan at the National Stadium in Karachi in december 1982.

Three years previously, he had hit an attack also containing Imran and Sarfraz for a 50 from 33 balls.

For all that, both matches were lost by India. At least he was rewarded with a draw when he again reached 50 from 33, against England at Old Trafford, in June 1982.

Match-winners

Though Kapil holds the record, however, nothing compares with the innings of Hansie Cronje against Sri Lanka in March 1998 and Roy Fredericks against Australia in December 1975.

Cronje, second on the list with 31 balls, came in with South Africa 99 for three in their second innings in Centurion, needing 226 to secure the two-match series.

Fastest Test 50s in balls

26, IT Botham, Eng v India, Delhi, 1981-2

30, Kapil Dev, Ind v Pak, Karachi, 1982-3

31, WJ Cronje, SA v SL, Centurion, 1997-8

32, IVA Richards, WI v Ind, Jamaica, 1982-3

32, IT Botham, Eng v NZ, The Oval, 1986

33, A Flintoff , Eng v NZ, Wellington, 2001-2

33, RC Fredericks, WI v Aus, Perth, 1975-6

33, Kapil Dev, Ind v Pak, Karachi, 1978-9

33, Kapil Dev, Ind v Eng, Old Trafford, 1982

33, AJ Lamb, Eng v NZ, Auckland, 1991-2

They had trailed Sri Lanka by 103 runs after the first innings, in which Muttiah Muralitharan had taken five for 63.

And as Cronje came to the crease second time round, Murali was licking his lips having removed three batsmen for ten runs.

Cronje's response was to hit a six and a four in the second over bowled to him by the off-spinner, followed by another six.

And in blur of leg-side boundaries, he went to his 50 by hitting Murali for 4-6-6-6. By the time Cronje was out for 82 from 63 balls, only 11 runs were needed for victory.

But the best of the lot is most probably Frederick's assault on Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson in Perth.

The West Indies had lost the first Test by eight wickets, and were unable to stop Ian Chappell scoring 156 out of Australia's 329 in the second.

What happened next, however, was utter carnage.

Fredericks, opening the innings with Bernard Julian, went in to bat with 90 minutes left of the opening session of the second day. Fourteen overs later, lunch was taken with the West Indies 130 for one.

Fredericks had hooked his first ball from Lillee for six and went on to take both Aussie pace bowlers apart, moving to his century from 71 balls and eventually reaching 169.

Fittingly, the West Indies eventually won by an innings.

Six-filled start

Viv Richards' annihilation of India's bowlers at Sabina Park in February 1983 was no less important.

With the West Indies 172 from 26 overs to win the first Test, Richards made his entrance only at the fall of the second wicket, at 65 for two, because of a painful shoulder.

Viv Richards
Richards annihilated India's bowlers in Kingston
His first scoring stroke was one of four sixes and he needed 35 balls to reach 61. Out at 156 for five, 16 were needed from 2.3 overs, which Gus Logie and Jeff Dujon duly supplied with four balls to spare.

Allan Lamb and Ian Botham (33 and 32 balls respectively) complete the list, with Lamb's knock coming in the second innings of match England were dominating.

Botham's 32-ball effort, also against New Zealand, came in a rain-affected draw, but it was memorable for his harsh treatment of seamer Derek Stirling.

Having dropped Botham - a skier which took a full eight seconds to come down - Stirling was promptly thumped for 4-6-4-6-0-4 in the next over.

Like Botham's, Flintoff's innings was memorable for its ferocious strokeplay, but it did not alter the course of the match.


	^^ Back to top
	Front Page \| Football \| Cricket \| Rugby Union \| Rugby League \| Tennis \| Golf \| Motorsport \| Boxing \| Athletics \| Other Sports \| Sports Talk \| In Depth \| Photo Galleries \| TV & Radio \| BBC Pundits \| Question of Sport \| Funny Old Game ------------------------------------------------------------ BBC News >> \| BBC Weather >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © MMII\|News Sources\|Privacy