Scoring two fifty-plus scores in two different Internationals on the same day has become a norm thanks to the introduction of T20I format. However, such instances are very rare as only six players have achieved that feat till date; three each in Men’s and Women’s cricket. During the 2017 Desert T20 Cup, Mohammad Shahzad smashed 80 and an unbeaten 52 in Dubai against Oman and Ireland respectively. Shahzad’s knocks helped Afghanistan to clinch the Desert T20 title.
The Afghanistan wicket-keeper was considered as the first with two fifties on the same day in different International matches. But the fact remains that Shahzad was the first male cricketer with this feat as Australia Women cricketer Meg Lanning achieved it four years before. Playing in the first two games of the 3-match T20I series against New Zealand on the same day, Lanning smashed 76 and 64 runs respectively. The first knock ended on the losing side but the second one came in a successful chase.
Before these twin fifties Lanning never had a T20I half-century to her name despite playing 27 matches in the format. Two players joined this list during the 2018 Women’s Tri-Nation T20I tournament hosted by England. The first day of the tournament witnessed South Africa facing New Zealand and England team where they ended up conceding the then highest Women’s T20I totals. Dane van Niekerk, the South Africa Women’s skipper, scored 58 and 72 respectively.
Niekerk’s knocks were the only positive outcomes for the South Africans who were beaten to the ground at the County Ground in Taunton. A week later, it was Sophie Devine who entered the list by scoring 68* and 52 respectively against South Africa and England. The 5th player with two 50+ T20I scores on the same day was Sudesh Wickramasekara of Czech Republic in August 2019. Wickramasekara scored 52 against Austria and an unbeaten 104 against Turkey which were his career’s first two T20Is.
His hundred came in only 35 balls equalling the record for fastest T20I ton held by David Miller and Rohit Sharma. He also became the first to score a fifty and a hundred on the same day in T20Is. Belgium skipper Shaheryar Butt replicated this feat last month where he scored 81* at No.5 against Luxembourg and an unbeaten 125 against the Czech Republic at No.6 position. The 125* is the highest T20I score batting outside top five and his 206 runs in the day are also the most in T20Is.
