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Nepal batsman Dipendra Singh Airee has hit the fastest possible 50 in cricket, needing just nine deliveries to reach the mark in a match against Mongolia.

Airee hit his first six balls for six to race to 36 off just six deliveries. He then hit his seventh ball for two before hitting his next two for sixes to reach his half-century in nine balls: the ‘perfect 50’. With a two from the final ball of the innings, Airee ended with 52 not out from 10 balls.

His innings shattered the previous world record for a 50 in a Twenty20 match – the 12 balls required by Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle and Hazratullah Zazai. Yuvraj’s innings, against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup, included six consecutive sixes off Stuart Broad.

Airee’s innings came during the opening match of the cricket event in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou in China. Nepal, who are ranked 17th in T20 internationals, thrashed Mongolia – who have yet to play enough games to qualify for a world ranking – by 273 runs, another world-record margin in T20s.

Nepal’s 3/314 for three – a run rate of 15.7 per over – set yet another world record, this time for the highest score in a T20 innings. No.3 batsman Kushal Malla thrashed an undefeated 137, from 50 balls, before Airee’s devastating contribution at No 5, clearing 50 despite coming out to bat in the 19th over. Mongolia were bowled out for 41 in response.

Airee is 23 and has been hailed as a future star in Nepal. He recently appeared for Montreal Tigers in the Global T20 league in Canada, and scored a T20 international century against Malaysia last year. Nepal recently qualified for the Asia Cup, where they were defeated by India and Pakistan.

Telegraph, London

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