Fatima Sana shatters all-time T20I record with 15-ball blitz
By Nawaz Gohar ; Pakistan captain Fatima Sana etched her name into the pantheon of cricket history on Friday, smashing the fastest half-century in the history of Women’s T20 Internationals.
The 24-year-old all-rounder put on a breathtaking display of raw power and clinical hitting against Zimbabwe at the National Bank Stadium, turning the final match of the series into an unforgettable masterclass.Walking out to the middle at number six with the scoreboard reading 152 for 4, the skipper wasted no time in shifting the game into overdrive.
Fatima launched a belligerent, calculated assault on the Zimbabwean bowling attack, piercing the field with absolute precision. She plundered eight boundaries and smoked two towering sixes, breaching the 50-run milestone in a mind-boggling 15 deliveries.
With this extraordinary feat, Fatima didn’t just break a record, she completely rewrote the global standard for power-hitting in the women’s game.
She comfortably eclipsed the previous all-time world record of an 18-ball fifty, which was jointly held by a trio of international superstars: New Zealand’s Sophie Devine, Australia’s Phoebe Litchfield, and India’s Richa Ghosh.
On a domestic level, Fatima’s blitz completely obliterated the previous national record held by former captain Nida Dar, who hammered a 20-ball half-century against South Africa back in 2019.”It was pure instinct and perfect timing.
The platform was set, and I just wanted to maximize the death overs for my team,” an ecstatic Fatima reflected after her historic knock.Her record-shattering onslaught propelled Pakistan to its second-highest total ever in Women’s T20Is, leaving the visiting Chevrons completely shell-shocked and establishing a new benchmark for aggression in the Pakistan ranks.
