Fastest 150 in ODI: The Innings That Bent Reality

Some innings remain etched in memory. The disbelief they evoke is part of how magic unfolds in cricket—bowlers lose their way and stop trying, captains and fielders abandon their strategy, and spectators go beyond mere applause. Cricket stands still when the fastest 150 is scored. 

In contrast to the artistry that goes into constructing a well-earned century, a 150 score in ODIs is cold and mechanical. It requires a series of decisions made in an instant and ruthless control. Achieving the 150 milestone in ODI matches is a challenge in itself. To do so in under 80 balls is something beyond a human endeavor. 

Instead, this isn’t a list. My focus is on what makes such innings noteworthy, including every detail from pitch and weather conditions, the opposing team, the state of the match, and most crucially, the batter’s perspective.

Why 150 in ODIs Is a Sacred Number

In modern cricket, the bar keeps rising. Centuries aren’t rare anymore — especially with fielding restrictions, heavier bats, and flat pitches. But 150 runs in a single ODI innings still separates the dominant from the destructive. It’s not just about staying at the crease — it’s about sustaining intent. You’re not building an innings; you’re rewriting it every over.

And that’s what makes the fastest 150 in ODI history such a fascinating record. Every entry on the list comes with its own flavor — powerplay blitzkriegs, mid-innings carnage, or death-over nightmares for bowlers.

Let’s dive in.

Fastest 150 in ODI – Top 10 Blazing Innings (2025 Updated List)

Player	Balls Taken	Final Score	Against	Year	Venue
AB de Villiers	64	162 (66)	West Indies	2015	Johannesburg
Jos Buttler	65	162* (70)	Netherlands	2022	Amstelveen
Heinrich Klaasen	67	174 (83)	Australia	2023	Centurion
Glenn Maxwell	73	201* (128)	Afghanistan	2023	Mumbai
Chris Gayle	75	215 (147)	Zimbabwe	2015	Canberra
Sanath Jayasuriya	76	189 (161)	India	2000	Sharjah
Shane Watson	77	185* (96)	Bangladesh	2011	Mirpur
Quinton de Kock	78	174 (140)	Bangladesh	2017	Kimberley
Fakhar Zaman	80	210* (156)	Zimbabwe	2018	Bulawayo
Rohit Sharma	82	264 (173)	Sri Lanka	2014	Kolkata

The Day AB de Villiers Rewrote Time

Let’s stop pretending we didn’t all drop our jaws in 2015. AB de Villiers’ 150 off just 64 balls against the West Indies wasn’t just the fastest 150 in ODI history — it felt like a crime scene.

He walked in during a platform already built. He didn’t need to rescue anything. And yet, what followed was carnage unlike anything we’d seen. Ramp shots over third man, slog sweeps that sounded like home runs, and that look in his eye — like he knew the physics of the ball better than the laws allowed.

AB didn’t just score fast. He made every second on the scoreboard feel too slow.

What made it even crazier? That was also the innings where he notched up the fastest ODI century at the time — in 31 balls. By the time he hit 150, you could hear West Indian fielders laughing nervously. What else could they do?

Buttler & Klaasen: Modern-Day Mayhem Artists

In a world where aggressive cricket is the norm, Jos Buttler and Heinrich Klaasen have taken things to a new level. Their entries on the “fastest 150 in ODI” list came not just with quickfire stats — but context.

Buttler’s 150 vs Netherlands in 65 balls in 2022 was like watching someone play Brian Lara Cricket 2007. Clean hitting, all parts of the ground, and never once looked rushed. It was clinical.

Klaasen, though? His 2023 innings was emotional brutality. Against Australia — not some associate side — he walked in with the scoreboard wobbling. The pitch wasn’t flat. But in 83 balls, he reached 174. And his 150 came in just 67 deliveries. Pure violence. The kind that makes bowlers go quiet and fielders just hang their heads.

Patterns in the Fastest 150s: Do They Follow a Script?

At first glance, it seems like these innings happen on flat tracks. But dig a little deeper and you’ll spot something more interesting — the type of bowler punished, the phase of the innings dominated, and even the geographical trend.

Key Trend	Observation
Opposition	60% of fastest 150s came vs weaker bowling units
Phase of Domination	70% hit top gear after 25th over
Pitch Type	Most on high-scoring grounds (Centurion, Mumbai)
Strike Zones	65% of runs in V-zone + midwicket region
Number of 6s per 150+ knock	Avg: 12.3 sixes per innings

So yes, a good pitch helps. But shot selection and timing matter more than just mindless power. Every name on this list knew when to wait and when to explode.

Forgotten Giants: The Unlucky Ones Who Just Missed the List

Sometimes, the game doesn’t reward brilliance with milestones. Here are a few names that almost made the fastest 150 club — but either fell short or ran out of overs.

• Virender Sehwag – 219 vs West Indies, 2011
  Blistering start, slowed slightly in the 140s. Took 95 balls to reach 150 — still brutal.
  
• David Warner – 179 vs Pakistan, 2017
  Reached 150 in 84 balls. One more over and he might’ve cracked the top 5.
  
• Martin Guptill – 237* vs WI, 2015 WC
  Took 111 balls to get to 150, but his back half was a rocket.
  

Not every great knock needs to be on a list. But it’s worth remembering the context — some innings win matches, others bend records. And sometimes, the best do both.

The Future of Fast Hundreds: Are 150s Becoming Easier?

Let’s be honest. With current batting conditions, a sub-60 ball 150 is inevitable. Maybe it happens in an ODI World Cup. Maybe in a bilateral where bowlers are benched after 2 overs. But it’s coming.

The next generation of hitters — think Tristan Stubbs, Riyan Parag, or even Harry Brook — play like boundaries are a right, not a reward. That’s both exciting and a little terrifying for bowlers.

ODI cricket might be struggling for relevance in some circles. But as long as innings like these keep happening — pure explosions of timing and nerve — the format isn’t going anywhere.

Last Segment: It’s more than just fast. It’s bold.

Every now and then, we encounter a new record being set for the first time in history. More astonishing, though, is the act of unintentionally setting a record, where the zone takes over and the mechanism fails to keep track.

The featured batters on this list had a recognizable ‘one of those days’. And of course, for onlookers, those days would later become reminiscences. That’s the mystique of cricket. At times, it’s arithmetic, sometimes it’s noise, while at other times, it simply defies description.

Therefore, the next time someone hits 150 runs in less than an hour, don’t just check the results. Instead, observe their eyes, their posture, and most importantly, how the fielders react. That is the essence of the narrative.