Fatima Sana etched her name into the record books with a breathtaking knock in the third and final T20I against Zimbabwe women’s at the National Stadium in Karachi on May 17. The Pakistan skipper slammed the fastest half-century in women’s T20I history, powering her way to a sensational unbeaten 62 off just 19 deliveries.
The 24-year-old shattered the previous record for the fastest women’s T20I fifty, which stood at 18 balls and was jointly held by Sophie Devine, Phoebe Litchfield, and Richa Ghosh. Sana’s blistering effort also equalled the fastest fifty in all women’s T20 cricket, matching records set by Marie Kelly for Warwickshire in 2022 and Laura Harris for Otago in the 2025 Super Smash.
Batting first after winning the toss, Pakistan were well placed at 152/4 in the 17th over when Sana walked in. She wasted no time making an impact, striking a boundary off her very first delivery against Michelle Mavunga. The right-hander then launched a brutal assault on the Zimbabwe bowlers, including four consecutive boundaries off Kudzai Chigora.
Sana took things to another level in the 19th over against Nomvelo Sibanda, smashing 4, 4, 6, 6, and 4 in a 24-run over to race to 48 off just 14 balls. At the other end, Saira Jabeen also brought up a fluent half-century, remaining unbeaten on 50 off 32 deliveries.
The Pakistan captain eventually reached her landmark with a couple off Zimunu in the final over before adding two more boundaries to cap off a stunning innings. Her knock, laced with 10 fours and two sixes, propelled Pakistan to 223/4, their second-highest total in women’s T20Is after the 237 they posted earlier in the series.
Pakistan then dominated with the ball as Zimbabwe were bundled out for just 90. Sadia Iqbal and Nashra Sandhu starred with the ball, sharing five wickets between them, while Sana chipped in with figures of 1/28 in 2.1 overs to complete a memorable all-round performance.
