3 times a bowler scored a quickfire fifty in ODIs Ft. Ajit Agarkar
Walking in to bat in a dire situation during the third ODI against Pakistan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman went on to smash Afghanistan's fastest-ever 50 in the format. It was a remarkable performance since Afghanistan were down in the dumps at 97-7 in pursuit of 269 for victory.
Prior to this match, his highest score was 27 across more than 300 international matches. Across 63 ODIs, he had maintained an average of just 6.15, achieving a personal best of 18*.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman joins a list of bowlers who sauntered out and took down the opposition bowling attack and emerged as an unlikely hero. Although Afghanistan failed to win the match, Mujeeb gave a great account of his batting talent.
Here we take a look at three times a bowler scored a quickfire fifty in ODIs:
#3 Ravi Rampaul - 86(66) vs India, 2011
West Indies kept losing wickets courtesy of Umesh Yadav and Vinay Kumar's seam movement. However, Lendl Simmons showcased resilience as others faltered. However, when he departed as the ninth wicket at a score of 170, West Indies stared down the barrel.
That is when Ravi Rampaul, who had a modest one-day average of nine and a previous best score of 26 not out, displayed extraordinary power as he hammered the Indian attack.
His innings of an unbeaten 86 off 66 balls was a sight to behold, featuring an impressive tally of six sixes. This performance marked the highest-ever score by a No. 10 batsman in one-day internationals.
He took his side to 269 but India chased that down courtesy Virat Kohli.
#2 Kyle Mills - 52(35) vs India, 2010
Batting first, India struggled as they posted 223 runs on the board. Only Virender Sehwag showed resilience on a bowling-friendly surface and scored a century. In response, New Zealand never got going and the Indian bowlers led by the seamers kept chipping away at the wickets.
New Zealand were down and out 41 for 5 and then at 52 for 7 when Kyle Mills walked into a hopeless situation. However, he gave a good account of his hitting range as he clobbered the Indian bowlers.
When was dismissed as the final wicket, he had raced away to 52 off 35 balls.
#1 Ajit Agarkar - 67*(25) vs Zimbabwe, 2000
In this match against Zimbabwe, India batted first and never really got going. They were reduced to 114 for five, with key players such as Sachin Tendulkar (27), Rahul Dravid (6), and Virender Sehwag (19) back in the hut. Hemang Badani emerged as a tenacious force, crafting a determined 77 runs.
Ajit Agarkar joined hands and launched a counteroffensive alongside Reetinder Sodhi. India reached 269 for six within 48 overs, with his personal score standing at an explosive 42 runs from just 18 balls.
Agarkar was the main force as he raced to a half-century off just 21 deliveries, becoming the fastest man to score a half-century.