Flashback: Only players to hit a T20I fifty for England before turning 20

T20 cricket is the most demanding format in the world of cricket right now. Since its inception, the format has seen plenty of positive revolutions. Young players have achieved special feats in T20Is and two of the England cricketers, both females, have managed to smash a fifty even before they turned 20.

England’s Alice Capsey slammed a half-century aged 17y 356d against South Africa in the Commonwealth Games Women’s Cricket Competition 2022 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. With this, Capsey became the youngest-ever English player (both male and female) to smash a fifty in T20 internationals.

England batted first and posted 167/5 in 20 overs courtesy of Capsey’s efforts. She scored 50 off 37 with the help of seven fours and a maximum and at a strike rate of 135.13. Her side beat the Proteas to win the encounter by 26 runs. Capsey has played just four T20Is and scored 119 runs at an average of 39.66 and a strike rate of 120.20.

The second name to feature in this elite list is former English cricketer Sarah Taylor. She hammered a half-century aged 18y 85d against New Zealand in Bath, England in the year 2007. The White Ferns batted first and got bowled out cheaply for just 117 in 18.1 overs.

Opening the innings, Taylor remained unbeaten on 52 off 50, which included five fours and a six to guide her side to a five-wicket victory in 17.4 overs. Having made her international debut in 2006, she went on to play 90 T20 internationals, scoring 2177 runs at an average of 29.02 and a strike rate of 110.67 with 16 half-centuries and the highest score of 77.

 She is still the second-highest run-getter after Charlotte Edwards for England women in the format. Talking about men’s cricket, Tom Banton is the youngest to hold the record, as he slammed one aged 21y 291d, against Pakistan in Manchester in 2020.