Jake Fraser-McGurk reached fifty off 14 balls for South Australia against Queensland at Karen Rolton Oval on Saturday. It is the fastest half-century in One-Day Cup history.
The record he broke was his own. His 18-ball fifty against Tasmania in October 2023 had beaten Glenn Maxwell’s 19-ball mark. He went on to make 122 off 63 balls.
The record took 14 balls, and it nearly ended on the fifth. What happened after that drop explains everything that followed.
Absolutely outrageous. A new record for the fatest 50 in #OneDayCup history https://t.co/XpnYQjUOPb
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 17, 2026
Queensland won the toss and bowled first. Fraser-McGurk’s 14 balls went 1, 0, 6, 4, 2, 4, 6, 6, 6, 4, 0, 1, 6, 4. That is five sixes, four fours and only two dot balls.
The one chance came on his fifth ball. On 11, he drove Tom Straker to deep extra cover, and Jack Clayton dropped it.
| Fastest One-Day Cup fifty | Balls |
|---|---|
| Glenn Maxwell (record before 2023) | 19 |
| Jake Fraser-McGurk v Tasmania, October 2023 | 18 |
| Jake Fraser-McGurk v Queensland, October 2026 | 14 |
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A dropped catch against a careful batter costs a few runs. Against a batter in this mode, it costs the whole plan. Before the drop, Straker could believe the next mistimed drive would go to hand. After it, every bowler knew the one chance had gone, and that tightens the wrist. Length drifts. Width creeps in.
The batter feels the opposite. Early on, even an attacking opener is still testing the pitch and the bounce. A reprieve answers those questions for him, so he stops checking and commits to every ball in his half. His next nine balls brought 37 runs: 4, 6, 6, 6, 4, 0, 1, 6, 4.
From 50 to 122
The second fifty was harder work. After reaching 74 off 21 balls, he went 20 balls without a boundary as Queensland took pace off with Mitch Swepson’s leg-spin and Hayden Kerr’s yorkers.
He broke free when Tom Whitney dropped short in the 14th over. Fraser-McGurk pulled two balls in a row for six.
He and Mackenzie Harvey put on 129 for the first wicket in 11.3 overs, with Harvey making 46 off 35. Kerr ended Fraser-McGurk’s innings in the 21st over, trapping him lbw on a slog-sweep for 122 off 63. South Australia were 2-194.
After his 29-ball hundred in 2023, he explained what was driving his batting.
“I just think I’ve found a process that works and that I’m trusting one hundred per cent.”
Jake Fraser-McGurk, speaking to cricket.com.au, October 2023
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