Apia, Aug 20 (IANS): Samoa's Darius Visser etched his name into the Cricket record books by scoring an unprecedented 39 runs in a single over during the T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Region Qualifier match against Vanuatu in Apia on Tuesday.
This historic feat, achieved in the 15th over of Samoa's innings, now stands as the most runs ever scored in a single over in T20 International (T20I) history, surpassing the previous record of 36, which had been achieved on five separate occasions.
The over in question was bowled by Vanuatu's Nalin Nipiko, who found himself at the mercy of Visser's relentless assault. The drama began with three consecutive sixes launched over deep midwicket by Visser, who then capitalized on a front-foot no-ball by sending the subsequent free hit soaring over the leg side for another maximum.
A rare moment of reprieve for Nipiko came with a dot ball, as Visser's straight shot rattled the stumps at the non-striker's end. However, the respite was short-lived. Nipiko overstepped again, followed by another no-ball for height, which Visser duly dispatched over fine leg for six. The final delivery of the over, a low full toss outside off stump, was expertly flicked over deep square leg to round off a jaw-dropping 39-run over.
Visser's remarkable over not only shattered records but also propelled Samoa to a formidable total. His innings of 132 runs, which featured 14 sixes—the fifth-highest tally in T20I history—accounted for an astonishing 75.86% of Samoa's final score of 174, a new record for the highest percentage of runs scored by a single batter in a T20I innings.
The previous record of 75.1% was held by Australia's Aaron Finch.
Visser's century was the first-ever T20I ton by a Samoa men's batter, a landmark achievement that further cements his place in the annals of cricket history. His innings was the cornerstone of Samoa's batting effort, with the second-highest contribution being just 16 runs by captain Caleb Jasmat.
In response, Vanuatu put up a valiant fight but ultimately fell short, finishing their innings at 164 for 9, handing Samoa a hard-fought ten-run victory. Visser also contributed with the ball, taking a crucial wicket to help his team secure the win.