Ranji Trophy: Meghalaya’s Akash Kumar smashes world record with 11-ball fifty, 8 sixes in a row

Akash Kumar Choudhary has rewritten cricket history by scoring the fastest fifty in first-class cricket, reaching the milestone in just 11 deliveries during Meghalaya's Ranji Trophy Plate Group match against Arunachal Pradesh at the C K Pithawala Ground in Surat on November 9.

The 25-year-old batsman's explosive innings saw him smash eight consecutive sixes, including six maximums in a single over bowled by left-arm spinner Limar Dabi. This achievement placed him in an exclusive club alongside legendary cricketers Ravi Shastri and Garry Sobers, the only other players to hit six sixes in one over in first-class cricket. South Africa's Mike Procter also achieved six consecutive sixes, though his feat was spread across two overs.

Choudhary's record-breaking knock surpassed the previous benchmark of 12 balls set by England's Wayne Knight, who was playing for Leicestershire against Essex in 2012. The earlier record holder, Clive Inman, had reached fifty off 13 deliveries back in 1965.

Walking in at number eight towards the end of Meghalaya's first innings, Choudhary started cautiously with a dot ball and two singles. What followed was carnage. He launched the next eight deliveries over the boundary rope, a sequence of consecutive sixes never before witnessed in cricket history. No batsman had previously managed more than six sixes in succession.

The middle-order batsman remained unbeaten on 50 runs from 14 balls, his explosive cameo helping Meghalaya declare their innings at 628 for six. Earlier, Arpit Bhatewara (207) and R Dalal (144) had laid a solid foundation with substantial centuries, but it was Choudhary's fireworks that propelled the total beyond 600.

Whilst Choudhary holds the record for the fastest fifty by balls faced, he occupies second place when measured by time. His nine-minute effort narrowly trails Inman's eight-minute half-century from six decades ago.

The Ranji Trophy Plate Group has emerged as a breeding ground for extraordinary performances this season. Recent weeks have witnessed Bihar's Vaibhav Suryavanshi becoming the youngest player in Ranji Trophy history, whilst Goa's Kashyap Bakle and Snehal Kauthankar established the highest-ever partnership in first-class cricket with a 606-run stand.

Choudhary, who made his first-class debut in 2019, has played 30 matches for Meghalaya, accumulating 503 runs at an average of 14.37. His record-breaking innings have now placed him at the pinnacle of first-class cricket's most explosive batting performances.