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Misbah-Ul-Haq Breaks Batting Records

by Israr Ahmed Hashmi Sunday 2 November 2014

Misbah-ul-Haq broke a number of records on day four in Abu Dhabi

©REUTERS / Action Images

Misbah-ul-Haq has scored the quickest half-century in Test cricket and followed that up by equalling Sir Viv Richards' record of a 56-ball century on day four of the second Test against Australia in Abu Dhabi.

This Test series started with Pakistan in all sorts of trouble, after losing the ODI series 3-0 and without a number of experienced players, and Australia riding high but now Pakistan are on the brink of a memorable series win.

This series has already seen a number of records fall to Pakistan’s, all thanks to Younus Khan, Sarfraz Ahmed and Yasir Shah but there is one man who you can’t count out even if he is 40 years and 158 days old.

Misbah, who was dropped from the second ball of his innings went on to score the quickest Test 50 in the history of the game, not only in terms of balls but also in terms of minutes batted and then the fastest Test century, levelling Richards.

Here are the lists:

Fastest 50s (balls faced)

Batsman	Balls Faced	Opponents	Year
Misbah-ul-Haq (PAK)	21	Australia	2014
Jacques Kallis (SA)	24	Zimbabwe	2004
Shane Shillingford (WI)	25	New Zealand	2014
Shahid Afridi (PAK)	26	India	2004
Mohammad Ashraful (BAN)	26	India	2007
Mohammad Yousuf (PAK)	27	South Africa	2002
Foffie Williams (WI)	28	England	1947
Ian Botham (ENG)	28	India	1981
Chris Gayle (WI)	28	New Zealand	2014
Bruce Yardley (AUS)	29	West Indies	1977
Tim Southee (NZ)	29	England	2001
Kapil Dev (IND)	30	Pakistan	1982
Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL)	30	New Zealand	2009

Fastest 50s (minutes)

Batsman	Minutes	Opponents	Year
Misbah-ul-Haq (PAK)	24	Australia	2014
Mohammad Ashraful (BAN)	27	India	2007
John Brown (ENG)	28	Australia	1894
Salim Durrani (IND)	29	England	1963
Foffie Williams (WI)	30	England	1947
Bruce Taylor (NZ)	30	West Indies	1968

Fastest hundred (balls faced)

Batsman	Balls Faced	Opponents	Year
Misbah-ul-Haq (PAK)	56	Australia	2014
Viv Richards (WI)	56	England	1985-86
Adam Gilchrist (AUS)	57	England	2006-07
Jack Gregory (AUS)	67	South Africa	1921-22
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI)	69	Australia	2002-03
David Warner (AUS)	69	India	2011-12
Chris Gayle (WI)	70	Australia	2009-10
Roy Fredericks (WI)	71	Australia	1975-76
Majid Khan (PAK)	74	New Zealand	1976-77
Kapil Dev (IND)	74	Sri Lanka	1986-87
Mohammad Azharuddin (IND)	74	South Africa	1996-97
AB de Villiers (SA)	75	India	2010-11