Test cricket is the longest format of the game, and it is being played for a course of five days. But with T20 cricket taking over the world, teams are trying to play aggressively in Test cricket as well. England’s Bazball approach is the new way to look at Test cricket. It is exciting, and fans love to see teams going hard in red-ball cricket as well.
In this article, we will talk about the fastest 50 for a team in red-ball cricket. Scoring team fifty needs effort from both players. And the fastest fifty for a team is registered even within five overs, which is mind-blowing in Test cricket. Hence, let’s check out this remarkable record.
List of Top 3 Fastest Team Fifty in Test Cricket
3. England vs Sri Lanka (2002) – 30 balls
During a test match between England and Sri Lanka at Manchester in 2002, the English team registered a team fifty off just 30 balls. England made a massive 512 in their innings. They bowled Sri Lanka out for 253 runs and enforced the follow-on. Sri Lanka made 308 runs in the second inning, and England needed 50 runs to win. Openers Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick made 50 runs in just five overs and won by ten wickets.
2. England vs Sri Lanka (1994) – 27 balls
The English team also hold the record for the second-fastest team fifty in Test cricket. They did it in 1994 against South Africa at the Oval. batting first, South Africa made 334 in the first inning. England replied with 304 runs and gave away a 30-run lead. South Africa made only 175 in their second inning, and England had a target of 204 to chase. Michael Atherton and Graham Gooch made 50 runs in just 4.3 overs and reached the target in the 36th over to win the game. This was the fastest team fifty for over 30 years.
1. England vs West Indies (2024) – 26 balls
England broke their own 30-year-old record in the second of the three-match Test series against West Indies at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. Despite losing the wicket on the third ball, Ollie Pope (16 off 9) and Ben Duckett (33 off 14) scored the team’s fifty in just 4.2 overs to make history. Duckett made a 32-ball fifty, which is the third-fastest for England in test cricket.
