Ranji Trophy History: Meghalaya’s Choudhary Hits Fastest-Ever First-Class Fifty in 11 Balls
SURAT:Akash Kumar Choudhary of Meghalaya smashed his way into the cricket record books during a Ranji Trophy fixture, hitting eight consecutive sixes en route to scoring the fastest-ever first-class fifty, achieved in just 11 balls.
The stunning display of power hitting occurred on day two of the Ranji Trophy Plate Group match between Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh in Surat, Gujarat.
Coming in at number eight with Meghalaya comfortably placed at 576-6, the 25-year-old Akash began his innings with a dot and two singles before unleashing a brutal assault. He first hammered six straight sixes off the left-arm spin of Limar Dabi.
This feat made him only the third player to achieve the single-over record in first-class cricket, joining the exclusive club alongside West Indies legend Sir Garfield Sobers (1968) and former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri (1985).
Not content with the six-in-an-over milestone, Akash followed up by hitting back-to-back sixes during the very next over, bowled by off-spinner TNR Mohith. These two maximums pushed him to a half-century, completing the feat in an astonishing 11 balls.
The 11-ball fifty surpasses the previous first-class record of 12 balls, set by Wayne White for Leicestershire against Essex in 2012.
Meghalaya soon declared their innings on 629-8, with Akash finishing his blistering knock unbeaten on 50 from just 14 deliveries.
Akash Choudhary’s record-breaking performance was not limited to his batting. The seam bowler also shone with the ball to put Meghalaya in firm control for a massive win.
He claimed figures of 1-10 as Arunachal Pradesh were skittled out for a paltry 73 in their first innings. After being asked to follow on, Arunachal Pradesh limped to 29-3 at the close, with Akash returning figures of 2-7. They still trail Meghalaya by a mammoth 526 runs with only seven wickets remaining.
