New Delhi, Nov. 30 -- Abhishek Sharma smashed a 12-ball half-century for Punjab against Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in Hyderabad on Sunday. His whirlwind knock is now the joint third-fastest fifty in men's T20 cricket and the joint second-fastest by an Indian, as per ESPNcricinfo.

Opening the innings with Prabhsimran Singh, Abhishek tore into a Bengal attack led by Mohammed Shami and Akash Deep. He scored at more than 15 runs per over against both pacers, as well as Saksham Choudhary and Writtick Chatterjee. He reached his fifty with five fours and five sixes, facing just one dot ball in the 12 deliveries it took to get there.

Although he never quite threatened Sahil Chauhan's record for the fastest T20 hundred (27 balls), Abh...