Though Pakistan lost Hobart ODI against Australia in the ongoing VB Series, Shahid Afridi [Images] played gem of an innings scoring 56 off just 26 balls.
The highlights of Afridi's innings was two successive sixes off Glenn McGrath. Don't think any other batsman has dared to treat McGrath in this fashion (Afridi's teammate Abdur Razzaq once hit McGrath for five successive fours though).
During the course of his innings, Afridi reached his fifty off only 24 balls (with a six!), which is the second fastest fifty scored against Australia after New Zealander Lance Cairns' 21-ball fifty in 1982-83.
Afridi's strike rate of 215.38 is also the highest by any player against Australia in an innings of 50 or more.
Fastest fifties against Australia
| Balls | Batsman | For | Venue | Date |
| 21 | BL Cairns (52) | NZ | Melbourne | 13-02-1983 |
| 24 | Shahid Afridi (56*) | Pak | Hobart BO | 16-01-2005 |
| 25 | A Blignaut (54) | Zim | Bulawayo QSC | 24-02-2003 |
| 26 | Kapil Dev [Images] (58) | Ind | Rajkot | 07-10-1986 |
| 30 | SR Tendulkar (62) | Ind | Visakhapatnam [Images] | 03-04-2001 |
Best Strike-rates against Australia
(Min. Qualification : 50 runs)
| SR | Batsman | Runs | Balls | For | Venue | Date |
| 215.38 | Shahid Afridi | 56* | 26 | Pak | Hobart | 16-01-2005 |
| 208.00 | BL Cairns | 52 | 25 | NZ | Melbourne | 13-02-1983 |
| 192.86 | AM Blignaut | 54 | 28 | Zim | Bulawayo QSC | 24-02-2003 |
| 187.10 | Kapil Dev | 58 | 31 | Ind | Rajkot | 07-10-1986 |
| 174.36 | IT Botham | 68 | 39 | Eng | Perth | 01-01-1987 |
| 164.10 | MA Holding | 64 | 39 | WI | Perth | 05-02-1984 |
| 163.16 | SR Tendulkar | 62 | 38 | Ind | Visakhapatnam | 03-04-2001 |
| 151.43 | MA Holding | 53* | 35 | WI | Perth | 04-01-1987 |
| 150.00 | IVA Richards | 60* | 40 | WI | Sydney | 18-01-1989 |
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