Melbourne Stars young gun Tess Flintoff smashes fastest WBBL fifty

Melbourne Stars young gun Tess Flintoff has shattered the WBBL record for fastest fifty, reaching the milestone in just 16 deliveries.

Sydney Sixers all-rounder Ash Gardner watched on from North Sydney Oval’s Duncan Thompson Stand as one of her longest-standing records was utterly demolished.

Melbourne Stars young gun Tess Flintoff, generally classified as a bowling all-rounder, shattered the Women’s Big Bash League record for fastest fifty on Wednesday afternoon, reaching the milestone in just 16 deliveries against the Adelaide Strikers.

Facing a world-class bowling attack headlined by World Cup champions Megan Schutt and Darcie Brown, the 19-year-old plundered six boundaries and three sixes to help the Stars register 5/186, their largest team total in WBBL history.

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Before Wednesday’s match, Player of the Match Flintoff had only struck one six in 45 WBBL games.

The previous quickest WBBL half-century came nearly five years ago, when Gardner and South African opener Lizelle Lee each struck 22-ball fifties in the same match, coincidentally at North Sydney Oval.

Flintoff’s demolition ranks as the second-fastest fifty on record in women’s T20 cricket, narrowly missing the 15-ball half-century Warwickshire‘s Marie Kelly scored against Gloucestershire earlier this year.

She also became the third-quickest Australian to the 50-run milestone, bettered only by Pat Cummins (14 balls) and Dan Christian (15 balls).

“I’m probably more excited about the win, to be honest,” Flintoff told reporters after the match.

“Obviously it’s pretty satisfying (to break the record).

“North Sydney is a beautiful ground … it was quite quick today and there were some short boundaries with a strong breeze, so the conditions were in the batters’ favour.”

Tess Flintoff of the Stars. Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images

Flintoff waltzed to the crease in the 16th over with the Stars 3/115, starting her knock with consecutive boundaries through the covers off Schutt’s bowling.

Despite wickets perpetually falling at the other end, Flintoff continued rotating the strike and targeting the venue’s short square boundaries.

The teenager smacked three boundaries off the penultimate over, delivered by Brown, finding herself on 34 with six balls remaining in the innings.

Flintoff, who was assisted by some sloppy Strikers fielding, found the rope and sprinted between the wickets, but with five runs required from the final delivery to reach a maiden WBBL fifty, her chances seemed slim.

But Schutt kindly gifted the right-hander a low full-toss, which was firmly slapped over the long-on boundary rope.

The Stars had scored 73 runs from their last five overs, 51 of which came off Flintoff’s bat. There was not a single dot ball in her record-breaking knock, with her strike rate of 318.75 the highest in any WBBL innings.

6⃣ off the last ball to bring up the fastest ever @WBBL 50!!!

51* off 16, take a bow Tess Flintoff! pic.twitter.com/77lbTJphB3

— Melbourne Stars (@StarsBBL) November 2, 2022

Fastest fifties in the Women’s Big Bash League

16 balls – Tess Flintoff (MS) vs AS, 2022

22 balls – Ashleigh Gardner (SS) vs MS, 2017

22 balls – Lizelle Lee (MS) vs SS, 2017

Flintoff made her WBBL debut in 2019 as a 16-year-old, earning an Australia A call-up last summer against England A, taking 2/30 and scoring an unbeaten 18 (9) in the first ODI at Canberra’s EPC Solar Park.

Last week, Flintoff cracked 40 not out in a low-scoring contest against the Perth Scorchers at the WACA. At the time, it was her highest score in WBBL cricket.

The Strikers ultimately fell 22 runs short in the run chase – Flintoff finished with figures of 1/17 after dismissing South African international Laura Wolvaardt for 30, with Sasha Moloney taking a screamer at mid-wicket.

The Stars and Strikers will face off once again at Perth’s Lilac Hill Park on Saturday afternoon, with the first ball scheduled for 1pm AEDT.

Originally published as Melbourne Stars young gun Tess Flintoff smashes fastest WBBL fifty