Abhishek Sharma smashes 12-ball fifty; powers Punjab to 310/5 in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

New Delhi [India], November 30 (ANI): Abhishek Sharma smashed a 12-ball half-century for Punjab against Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in Hyderabad on Sunday. His whirlwind knock is now the joint third-fastest fifty in men's T20 cricket and the joint second-fastest by an Indian, as per ESPNcricinfo.

Opening the innings with Prabhsimran Singh, Abhishek tore into a Bengal attack led by Mohammed Shami and Akash Deep. He scored at more than 15 runs per over against both pacers, as well as Saksham Choudhary and Writtick Chatterjee. He reached his fifty with five fours and five sixes, facing just one dot ball in the 12 deliveries it took to get there.

Although he never quite threatened Sahil Chauhan's record for the fastest T20 hundred (27 balls), Abhishek did bring up his century in 32 balls before finishing on a stunning 148 off 52 deliveries, laced with eight fours and 16 sixes. He already shares the record for the second-fastest T20 century, a 28-ball effort alongside Urvil Patel, who achieved his for Gujarat against Tripura, both of whom came last season.

Punjab posted a massive 310/5 in their 20 overs. Prabhsimran smashed 70 off 35 balls, though his innings was overshadowed by Abhishek's carnage. Punjab's 310 is now the second-highest total in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy history, behind Baroda's 349/5 against Sikkim in Indore in December 2024.

The fastest fifty in men's T20 cricket belongs to Nepal's Dipendra Singh Airee, who blasted it against Mongolia in nine balls at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. India's Ashutosh Sharma sits second on the list with his 11-ball fifty for Railways against Arunachal Pradesh in the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Abhishek has become the fifth batter to register a 12-ball fifty in the format. Yuvraj Singh was the first, during his iconic six-sixes-over knock against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup. Chris Gayle matched the feat in the Big Bash League in 2016 for Melbourne Renegades, followed by Afghanistan's Hazratullah Zazai in the 2018 Afghanistan Premier League. The most recent instance came when Estonia's Sahil Chauhan hit a 12-ball fifty against Cyprus during his unbeaten 144 off 41 balls. (ANI)

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