Pakistan Captain Fatima Sana Smashes 15-Ball Fifty Against Zimbabwe

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana delivered a stunning display of power-hitting to script history in the third T20I against Zimbabwe at Karachi's National Stadium on Friday. The all-rounder smashed the fastest fifty ever recorded in Women's T20 Internationals, reaching the landmark in just 15 balls during a breathtaking innings that powered Pakistan to a dominant series-clinching win.

Walking in during the closing stages of the innings, Fatima unleashed an extraordinary assault on the Zimbabwe bowlers. She remained unbeaten on 62 from only 19 deliveries, striking at more than 326. Her explosive knock included 10 boundaries and two sixes, with almost every over turning into a nightmare for the visitors.

The Pakistan skipper broke the previous Women's T20I record jointly held by Sophie Devine, Phoebe Litchfield and Richa Ghosh, all of whom had scored fifties in 18 balls. Fatima's sensational innings also made her the fastest Pakistan player, male or female, to score a T20 fifty, surpassing Shoaib Malik's 18-ball effort during the 2021 T20 World Cup.

Her attack gathered momentum rapidly after she opened with a boundary in the 17th over. Fatima then tore into the Zimbabwe bowling attack, hammering multiple fours in consecutive overs before exploding in the penultimate over, where she collected 24 runs with a brutal mix of boundaries and sixes. She finally brought up the historic half-century in the final over before finishing the innings in style with two more boundaries.

Thanks largely to Fatima's late fireworks and a composed unbeaten fifty from Saira Jabeen, Pakistan piled up 223/4, one of the team's highest totals in Women's T20Is. The bowlers then completed the job comfortably as Pakistan sealed a 3-0 clean sweep over Zimbabwe.

It turned out to be a memorable all-round outing for Fatima Sana, who also chipped in with the ball to cap a historic evening that firmly placed her name in the Women's T20I record books.