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SMAT: Abhishek Sharma Blasts 12-ball Fifty En Route To 32-ball Century Against Bengal

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Punjab captain Abhishek Sharma unleashed carnage with a record-breaking half century enroute to his 32-ball century in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against an experienced Bengal bowling attack here on Sunday at the Gymkhana Ground. Abhishek was all guns blazing from ball one as he raced to a 12-ball half-century, the joint third-fastest fifty and joint second-fastest by an Indian in men's T20 cricket. He hit five fours and five sixes to get to his fifty, conceding just one dot ball in the 12 balls he had faced to get to the landmark. The 25-year-old left-handed batter became the fifth player to reach a fifty in just 12 balls in T20 cricket. His mentor, former India allrounder Yuvraj Singh, was the first to do so during the 2007 T20 World Cup match against England, where he famously hit six sixes in an over off Stuart Broad. The fastest fifty in mens T20 cricket was made by Nepals Dipendra Singh Airee against Mongolia at the Hangzhou Asian Games in September 2023. Indias Ashutosh Sharma is the second in the list with an 11-ball fifty for Railways against Arunachal Pradesh in the 202324 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Chris Gayle achieved this feat in the Big Bash League for the Melbourne Renegades against the Adelaide Strikers in January 2016. Later, in October 2018, Afghanistans Hazratullah Zazai matched the record while playing for Kabul Zwanan against Balkh Legends in an Afghanistan Premier League match in Sharjah. Abhishek maintained his aggressive batting and reached a century in just 32 balls, striking 11 sixes and seven fours. However, he narrowly missed the record for the fastest mens T20 century, which is held by Estonias Sahil Chauhan, who achieved it in 27 balls. Chris Gayle achieved this feat in the Big Bash League for the Melbourne Renegades against the Adelaide Strikers in January 2016. Later, in October 2018, Afghanistans Hazratullah Zazai matched the record while playing for Kabul Zwanan against Balkh Legends in an Afghanistan Premier League match in Sharjah. Also Read: Live Cricket Score Opening the innings with Prabhsimran Singh, who made 70 off 35 balls, Abhishek finished with 148 off 52 deliveries. Punjab ended their innings at 310/5 in 20 overs, which is the second-highest total in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy history, behind Barodas 349/5 against Sikkim in Indore in December 2024. Article Source: IANS