West Indies’ lower-order batter Matthew Forde registered his name in the history books with a blistering half-century against Ireland in the second ODI of the three-match series. He equalled the record of former legendary South Africa batter AB de Villiers for scoring the fastest half-century in ODIs.
Notably, there have been very instances in the ODI cricket when batters smashed the fastest half-centuries or centuries. These knocks helped their teams to post the mammoth totals on the board, putting the opponent in deep run-chase trouble.
With that said, here we’ll have a look at the top 3 fastest half-centuries in ODI cricket since the start of the format 54 years ago.
AB de Villiers – 16-ball fifty vs West Indies – 2015

South Africa and the West Indies were taking on each other in Johannesburg in the second ODI of the five-match ODI series. The game was played at the New Wanderers Stadium; West Indies won the toss and asked South Africa to bat first. The then Proteas skipper and the legendary batter AB de Villiers smashed a swashbuckling century, scoring 149 runs off just 44 balls, with nine fours and 16 sixes.
This knock of AB de Villiers also included the fastest ever half-century in ODI cricket. He completed his half-century off just 16 balls, followed by scoring the fastest ever ODI century, off just 31 balls. The knock ranks as the fastest half-century in ODIs even after 10 years of scoring it.
Matthew Forde – 16-ball fifty vs Ireland – 2025

Recently, in the second ODI between the West Indies vs Ireland, the visiting Caribbean side posted a mammoth total of 352 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in the allotted 50 overs. Apart from Keacy Carty’s 102-run knock, one of the major highlights of this innings was the fastest ODI half-century, scored by WI’s lower-order batter, Matthew Forde.
While batting at number eight, Forde completed his half-century off just 16 balls, equaling the record of the fastest ODI half-century; he scored 58 runs off just 19 balls, with two fours and eight sixes. His half-century is the second-fastest ODI half-century.
Sanath Jayasuriya – 17-ball fifty vs Pakistan – 1996

Pakistan and Sri Lanka took on each other in the final of the Singer Cup on April 7, 1996. Sri Lanka won the toss and asked the Men in Green to bat first. Batting first, the Aamer Sohail-led Pakistan were bundled out at the score of 215 runs in 48.3 overs. While chasing the target, the star Sri Lanka opener Sanath Jayasuriya left everyone stunned with his sensational half-century.
He smashed 76 runs off just 28 balls, with eight fours and 5 sixes. In this swashbuckling knock, Jayasuriya completed his half-century off just 17 balls. The former legendary Southpaw’s record of the fastest half-century stood tall for a long time of 19 years.
Disclaimer: This Exclusive News is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. As you review this information, consider the points mentioned and form your own conclusions.