Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019/20: Meghalaya's Abhay Negi hits 50 off 14 balls, shatters record for fastest fifty
What's the story?
Meghalaya's 27-year-old all-rounder, Abhay Negi scored a scintillating half-ton off just 14 deliveries in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to break Robin Uthappa's record of the fastest fifty in the tournament's history. With this innings, Negi has also leveled KL Rahul's record of the fastest half-century in Indian T20 cricket.
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The background
Hailing from Uttarakhand, the 27-year-old Abhay Negi had started his domestic cricket career playing for Tripura. He soon switched to Meghalaya, and he had represented the North-Eastern Indian state in the recently Vijay Hazare Trophy.
His good performances earned him a place in the T20 squad of Meghalaya for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and, the right-handed batsman repaid the selectors’ faith with his quick-fire knock in Mumbai.
The heart of the matter
Meghalaya locked horns with Mizoram in a Group D encounter at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Mizoram had won the toss and elected to field first on a flat wicket. The opposition batsmen took the utmost advantage of the batting-friendly pitch as Meghalaya raced to 149/4 in 17 overs.
Abhay Negi came out bat next and he turned the tables in his side's favor by scoring 50 runs off 15 deliveries. He hit two fours and six maximums in his knock, batting at a strike rate of 333.33. Negi took 14 balls to complete his maiden half-century in T20 cricket.
KL Rahul had earlier scored a 14-ball 50 while playing for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL but, Negi missed out on breaking that record by a whisker.
What's next?
As the IPL Auction is approaching, a lot of franchises would have taken note of this innings. If Negi continues to impress in the future, he can make it big in the world of cricket.