England continued their aggressive approach by setting the record for the fastest team fifty in Test cricket on the first day of the second Test against the West Indies, achieving the milestone in just 4.2 overs. Openers Ben Duckett (unbeaten 33 runs off 14 balls) and Ollie Pope (unbeaten 16 runs off nine balls) hit 10 boundaries between them, breaking their own previous record of 4.3 overs set against South Africa at The Oval in 1994. England occupies the top three spots on the list of fastest team fifties. They also achieved the third-fastest fifty in 2002 against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford, Manchester, in five overs.
England Makes History in Test Cricket
England did not have a great start as opener Zak Crawley returned to the pavilion without scoring. However, Ben Duckett maintained his momentum and with aggressive batting, set a world record. By scoring the fastest 50 runs in Test cricket against the West Indies, England claimed the record for the quickest fifty by a Test team. Previously, England had achieved this feat twice: once in 1994 against South Africa in 4.3 overs and again in 2002 against Sri Lanka in 4.6 overs.
Fastest Team Fifties in Men’s Test Matches
- 4.2 overs – England vs West Indies, Nottingham, Yesterday
- 4.3 overs – England vs South Africa, The Oval, 1994
- 4.6 overs – England vs Sri Lanka, Manchester, 2002
- 5.2 overs – Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, Karachi, 2004
- 5.3 overs – India vs England, Chennai, 2008
- 5.3 overs – India vs West Indies, Port of Spain, 2023