West Indies pacer Matthew Forde hit the joint-fastest half-century in a men's ODI against Ireland today (May 23), equalling the record set by South Africa great all-rounder AB de Villiers.
Coming in at No.8 in the second match of the series in Dublin, Forde was tasked with bolstering West Indies' score above 300 in the last seven overs. He did more than that, striking a six off the second ball he faced before unleashing against Josh Little in the following over.
Matthew Forde smashes joint-fastest fifty in ODI history
Having been brought back on strike for the second ball, he played out a dot before launching a short ball over long on for a huge six. He then played out another dot before thumping an attempted bouncer for another maximum. With Little having overstepped off that delivery, Forde smashed both the re-bowl and the final ball of the over for sixes as well.
A 16-ball fifty against Ireland 🤯
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) May 23, 2025
Matthew Forde has smashed the joint-fastest fifty in ODI cricket 👏#IREvWI #Cricket pic.twitter.com/ZaaIoZay4X
Three more boundaries followed off Forde's bat in the next over, before he hit another no ball over the rope off Liam McCarthy. That took him to 48 off 15 balls, needing two runs off his next ball to equal De Villiers' record. He got there in style, hitting another six over extra-cover. It was also Forde's maiden ODI half-century, having hit his previous best with the bat in the last game when he scored 38 off 48.
His innings came to an end later in that over, however, when he was bowled by a leg-stump yorker for 58. West Indies finished their innings on 352-8 after late cameos from Justin Greaves and Gudakesh Motie.
Full list: Fastest 50s in men's ODIs
| Player | Balls | Final Score | Team | Opposition | Venue | Year |
| AB de Villiers | 16 | 149 | South Africa | West Indies | Johannesburg | 2015 |
| Matthew Forde | 16 | 58 | West Indies | Ireland | Dublin | 2025 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | 17 | 76 | Sri Lanka | Pakistan | Singapore | 1996 |
| Kusal Perera | 17 | 68 | Sri Lanka | Pakistan | Pallekele | 2015 |
| Martin Guptill | 17 | 93 | New Zealand | Sri Lanka | Christchurch | 2015 |
| Liam Livingstone | 17 | 66* | England | Netherlands | Amstelveen | 2022 |
| Simon O'Donnell | 18 | 74 | Australia | Sri Lanka | Sharjah | 1990 |
| Shahid Afridi | 18 | 102 | Pakistan | Sri Lanka | Nairobi | 1996 |
| Shahid Afridi | 18 | 55* | Pakistan | Netherlands | Colombo | 2002 |
| Glenn Maxwell | 18 | 60 | Australia | India | Bangalore | 2013 |
| Brendon McCullum | 18 | 77 | New Zealand | England | Wellington | 2015 |
| Aaron Finch | 18 | 55 | Australia | Sri Lanka | Dambulla | 2016 |
| Michael Leask | 18 | 55 | Scotland | Papua New Guinea | Dubai | 2022 |
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