Sooryavanshi smashes fastest List A fifty, falls short of fastest hundred by one stroke

Dambulla (PTI): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed a 21-year-old record for the fastest List A fifty with a 11-ball half-century for India A in the tri-series final against Sri Lanka A here on Sunday.

The 15-year-old sensation (94 off 29), who is set to make his India debut later this month, saved his best for the summit clash. Sooryavanshi surpassed the fastest fifty record held by Sri Lankan Kaushalya Weeraratne who had achieved the milestone in 12 balls back in 2005.

The Indian teenager was also on the cusp of hitting the joint fastest List A century but was caught at mid-off in the ninth over with the score reading 132. His sensational 94 off 29 balls included 10 fours and eight sixes.

He reached to fifty with five sixes and as many fours as he toyed with the Sri Lanka A attack.

Having not made a big score in the league stage, Sooryavanshi meant business from the word go. His first five balls resulted in two sixes and three fours.

He targetted the leg-side off the pacers upfront before picking the extra cover region after the opposition put an extra fielder on the on-side.

The ability to hit good balls out of the park stood out once again. Sooryavanshi got to his half-century with a couple of sixes down the ground off pacer Dulaj Samuditha.

His effortless sixes over extra cover, three in total, were the highlight of his innings.

Sooryavanshi was very much in sight of equalling Jake Fraser McGurk's 29 ball century record but fell short by one stroke.

His innings was another reminder of Sooryavanshi's rare talent. The boy from Bihar had earned his India T20 call up for the Ireland and England tour after breathtaking performances in the IPL play offs.

Earlier in the tri-series, Sooryavanshi was sledged by a Sri Lanka A player and that led to a heated exchange between players of both sides in an ill tempered league fixture here.