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SURAT: Meghalaya batter Akash Kumar smashed a half-century off 11 balls on Day 2 of his team’s Ranji Trophy Plate Group match against Arunachal Pradesh, recording the fastest fifty in first-class cricket at Surat’s C K Pithawala Ground. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Akash registered the historic milestone after smashing eight consecutive sixes, which included six straight sixes in an over bowled by Limar Dabi. The Meghalaya batter further became the first man to hit more than six consecutive sixes, recording a historic feat for the second time during the same innings.The record for the fastest first-class half-century previously belonged to Wayne White, who registered a fifty off 12 deliveries while representing Leicestershire against Essex in 2012. ALSO READ:Who is Akash Kumar Choudhary?Meghalaya declared their first innings on 628/6 with Akash remaining unbeaten on 50 off 14 deliveries. The 25-year-old batter’s knock had a strike rate of 357.14. Wicket-keeper batter Arpit Subhas emerged as another top performer for Meghalaya, scoring 207 runs off 273 deliveries in a knock comprising 23 fours and four sixes. Captain Kishan Lyndoh and Rahul Dalal also scored centuries, making their presence felt. Lyndoh’s 119 off 187 balls comprised 14 fours and 1 six while Dalal hit 12 fours and nine sixes during his 144-run knock off 102 balls. Dabi conceded 130 runs in 20 overs, failing to pick a single wicket during his spell.Akash made his first-class debut back in December 2019, representing Meghalaya against Nagaland. He made his List-A and T20 debuts during the same year, against Sikkim and Gujarat respectively. Interestingly, Akash had gone through a barren run in his last 10 matches, scoring a half-century in just two matches. One of those 50s came in Meghalaya’s last match against Bihar, ending a five-match streak where the batter failed to cross the 20-run mark. Meghalaya are currently on the fourth spot in the points table, having drawn two out of three matches. Akash’s performance could very well result in the team recording their maiden win in the ongoing edition of the Ranji Trophy.
