THIS all-rounder the smashed the fastest T20I fifty ever against Team India off 16 balls, beating the record of Australia’s Cameron Green.
Team India got a massive scare against South Africa in the 3rd T20I match at the Supersport Park in Centurion on Wednesday. The T20 World Cup champions set a 220-run target for the hosts and looked well on course for a win with 51 runs needs off the last two overs with only 4 wickets in hand.
Suryakumar Yadav’s side would have fancied their chances but one man almost turned the game around. We are taking about South Africa all-rounder Marco Jansen, who smashed Hardik Pandya for 26 runs in the penultimate over with two sixes and three fours.
The former Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) pacer then smashed Arshdeep Singh for a six in the final over to bring up his fifty off 16 balls – the fastest-ever by a South African batter against India in this format. Although he failed to get SA across the line, Jansen notched up 54 off 17 balls with 5 huge sixes.
He broke the record of Australian all-rounder Cameron Green for the fastest T20I fifty against India, which he had scored off 19 balls. Johnson Charles of West Indies and Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka had scored 20-ball fifties against India.
It was also the 2nd fastest fifty by a SA batter in T20I cricket. The fastest is by former wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, who smashed 15-ball half-century against West Indies at the Centurion in 2023.
The whirlwind fifty by Jansen prompted South African legendary pacer Dale Steyn to say that he might well be worth Rs 10 crore at the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction later this month. “Marco Jansen. A 10 crore player? I’d say so,” Steyn tweeted.
Marco Jansen
A 10 crore player?
I’d say so.
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) November 13, 2024
Jansen was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah. He was getting a salary of Rs 4.2 crore from SRH since IPL 2022.
South African skipper Aiden Markram was proud of the chase by his side. The home side are trailing India 1-2 in the four-match T20I series with one match to go on Friday.
“Proud of the effort to get that close. Good to see the contributions from the lower order. It was just down to executing what we discussed. This is a ground where you can chase 220. I feel it is almost an over by over thing. If you win those overs you have a great chance. We will see areas to improve for the next game,” Markram said in the post-match presentation.