Mohammad Nabi holds the record for the fastest half-century in the Asia Cup, with a blistering fifty off just 20 balls against Sri Lanka in 2025. Alongside him, Azmatullah Omarzai also shares this record with his stunning 20-ball fifty against Hong Kong in the same year.
Afghanistan dominates the list of fastest fifties, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz also featuring with a 22-ball fifty. Out of the top seven fastest half-centuries in the tournament, three came in 2025 alone, two by Afghanistan batters. Other fastest knocks include explosive innings from Adnan Ilyas, Babar Hayat, Abhishek Sharma, and Suryakumar Yadav. These performances highlight the Asia Cup as a stage where batters consistently produce record-breaking and match-defining innings.
Top 8 Fastest 50 in T20I Asia Cup
Here are the top 7 batters who scored the fastest fifty in the Asia marquee tournament.
| Rank | Player | Team | Score (Opposition, Year) | Balls to 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azmatullah Omarzai | Afghanistan | 53 (vs HK, 2025) | 20 |
| 2 | Mohammad Nabi | Afghanistan | 60 (vs SL, 2025) | 20 |
| 3 | Suryakumar Yadav | India | 68* (vs HK, 2022) | 22 |
| 4 | Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Afghanistan | 84 (vs SL, 2022) | 22 |
| 5 | Abhishek Sharma | IndIa | 74 (vs PAK, 2025) | 24 |
| 6 | Babar Hayat | Hong Kong | 122 (vs Oman, 2016) | 24 |
| 7 | Adnan Ilyas | Oman | 54 (vs AFG, 2016) | 24 |
| 8 | Abhishek Sharma | India | 75 (vs BAN, 2025) | 25 |
Mohammad Nabi: 20 balls vs Sri Lanka
On 18 September 2025, Mohammad Nabi played a breathtaking innings against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup, scoring 60 runs off just 22 balls.
His explosive knock included six sixes and three fours, highlighted by a stunning final over where he hit five consecutive sixes off Sri Lankan bowler Dunith Wellalage. Nabi’s powerful hitting helped Afghanistan post a competitive total of 169/8.
Azmatullah Omarzai: 20 balls vs Hong Kong
The ODI player of the 2024, Azmatullah Omarzai, played a sensational innings against Hong Kong in the Asia Cup 2025, scoring a record-breaking 50 off just 20 balls, the joint-fastest fifty by an Afghanistan batter in T20Is. Omarzai’s aggressive hitting included a brutal 19th over where he hit three consecutive sixes and a four.
He finished with 53 runs off 21 balls and helped Afghanistan to post a commanding total of 188/6, leading to a convincing 94-run victory over Hong Kong.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz: 22 balls vs Sri Lanka
Rahmanullah Gurbaz joins this elite list in the third place. He scored a rapid 50 off just 22 balls against Sri Lanka during the 2022 edition of the Asia Cup. His innings featured 6 sixes and 4 boundaries, helping Afghanistan reach a competitive total of 175/6 in 20 overs.
Gurbaz started cautiously, but once set, he dominated the Sri Lankan bowling attack. His innings included 84 runs off 45 balls in total. Despite his efforts, Afghanistan lost the match to Sri Lanka by 4 wickets.
Suryakumar Yadav: 22 balls vs Hong Kong
One of the greatest T20I batters, Suryakumar Yadav, played an explosive innings against Hong Kong in the Asia Cup 2022. He took just 22 balls to reach his fifty and finished with an unbeaten 68 off 26 balls.
His blistering innings included 6 fours and 6 sixes, with a particularly destructive final over where he hit four sixes and a double, adding 26 runs. His partnership with Virat Kohli, who scored 59 not out, was crucial in the dominant 40-run victory over Hong Kong.
Abhishek Sharma: 24 balls vs Pakistan
India’s explosive batter, Abhishek Sharma, delivered a fiery innings against Pakistan in the Asia Cup Super 4 match, scoring 74 runs off just 39 balls. He reached his half-century in just 24 balls, the fastest by an Indian against Pakistan in T20Is.
His innings included five sixes and six boundaries. His powerful performance helped India secure a six-wicket victory with seven balls to spare, earning him the Player of the Match award. In this inning, Abhishek broke the world record for the fastest 50 sixes in T20I cricket, achieving it in 331 balls.
Babar Hayat: 24 balls vs Oman
In 2016, Babar Hayat played one of the best innings in the Asia Cup T20I against Oman during the qualifying round of the Asia Cup. Oman batted first and made 180 runs for the loss of five wickets.
While chasing, Babar Hayat first scored his half-century in 24 balls, and later scored a century off just 50 balls. He finished his inning with 122 off 60, including nine fours and seven sixes. Despite his blazing effort, Hong Kong fell short by just five runs against He became Hong Kong’s first T20I centurion.
Adnan Ilyas: 24 balls vs Afghanistan
On 20 February 2016, Adnan Ilyas played a dynamic innings against Afghanistan in the qualifying round of the Asia Cup 2016. He scored a quickfire 50 runs off just 24 balls.
His innings included three fours and four sixes, and he finished his innings with 54. Oman could only score 165/4 and lost the match by 3 wickets as Afghanistan chased the target with 3 balls to spare.
Abhishek Sharma: 25 balls vs Bangladesh
On 24 September 2025, Abhishek Sharma played a sensational innings against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup Super 4, scoring 75 runs off just 37 balls.
His explosive knock included multiple sixes and boundaries, highlighted by a blistering powerplay where he scored 38 runs in just 11 balls. Sharma reached his fifty in only 25 deliveries, marking his second consecutive fifty in the tournament and surpassing his mentor Yuvraj Singh in the elite list of quick scorers. His fearless batting helped India post a competitive total of 168/6 in their 20 overs.
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Conclusion: Who Can Break Mohammad Nabi’s Record?
Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai hold the record of the fastest 50 in the Asia Cup tournament. The top 3 players are from Afghanistan only, and out of the seven fastest 50s, three came in this edition. As this tournament will progress in T20I format, we expect more batters to break the Mohammad Nabi record.
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