ENG vs WI 2nd Test: England's Bazball Scripts World Record By Bringing Up Fastest Team Fifty In Test History

ENG vs WI 2nd Test: England brought up the fastest ever team fifty in the history of Test cricket during the England vs West Indies 2nd Test in Trent Bridge, Nottingham.

ENG vs WI 2nd Test: England made history in the ongoing England vs West Indies 2nd Test by scoring the fastest team fifty during Day 1 of the second match of the three-match series at Nottingham on July 18 (Thursday). Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope brought up the fifty for England in just 4.2 overs against West Indies. England's aggressive style of Test cricket under the coaching of Brendan McCullum is often referred to as 'Bazball,' a nod to McCullum's nickname 'Baz'.

 West Indies won the toss and sent England in to bat first. Despite losing the opener Zak Crawley on the very third ball of the match as the batter lost his wicket to Alzarri Joseph, the new batter Ollie Pope and the other opener Ben Duckett took the attack to the Caribbean bowlers and never let them settle. It all started in the second over as West Indies’ Jayden Seales went for 19 runs in the over, with Duckett scoring four back-to-back boundaries.

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England Bring Up Fastest Team Fifty In Test History

England reached 50 in just 26 balls (4.2 overs) with Duckett hitting a boundary to Joseph’s delivery, surpassing their previous record of a 27-ball fifty against South Africa at the Oval in 1994.
Fastest team 50s in recorded Test cricket

Teams with fastest fifties in Test cricket:

1- 4.2 Overs: England vs WI, Nottingham, 2024
2- 4.3 Overs: England vs SA, The Oval, 1994
3- 4.6 Overs: England vs SL, Manchester, 2002
4- 5.2 Overs: Sri Lanka vs PAK, Karachi, 2004
5- 5.3 Overs: India vs ENG, Chennai, 2008

Duckett Scores Fastest Test Fifty By An England Opener

Continuing the onslaught, Duckett reached his fifty in just 32 balls, marking the fastest Test half-century by an England opener. 

Fastest Test fifties for England (by balls faced):

1- 28 Balls: Ian Botham vs India, Delhi, 1981
1- 30 Balls: Jonny Bairstow vs New Zealand, Headingley, 2022
3- 32 Balls: Ian Botham vs New Zealand, The Oval, 1986
4- 32 Balls: Ben Duckett vs West Indies, Trent Bridge, 2024

In the ENG vs WI 2nd Test, England brought up their team 100 in just 17.5 overs with Duckett hitting a four to Kevin Sinclair’s delivery. However, in the very next over, Duckett lost his wicket after scoring 71 runs in just 59 balls trying to drive a full outside-off delivery by Shamar Joseph.