On the 20th of August, Samoa and Vanuatu faced off in a T20 International match in Apia during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub-Regional East Asia-Pacific Qualifier A, where Samoa won by 10 runs. This was after a remarkable display of power hitting from Darius Visser who scored 132 runs off only 62 balls.
In his innings, Visser hit 14 fours and 5 sixes and his strike rate was 212. 90. Besides, his performance contributed to the total of 174 runs for Samoa. He engraved his name in the record books for scoring 39 runs in an over, thereby breaking the previous record of 38 set on July 24, 2012 in the match between Sussex and Gloucestershire. This historic feat was made during the 15th over bowled by Nalin Nipiko of Vanuatu, and Visser took the advantage of three no-balls to make his record.
The over unfolded dramatically and Visser came out all guns blazing, and he even scored six sixes, but not in a single over. The breakdown of the over was three sixes in the first three balls, one run added by a no-ball and more sixes in the remaining balls to make the total score of the over 39 runs. This achievement not only claimed the record for the International T20 record, but it also set a standard for all T20 cricket.
First ball: Darius hit a six
Second ball: Darius hit a six
Third ball: Darius hit a six
Fourth ball: A no-ball gave one run
Fifth ball: Darius hit a six
Sixth ball: Darius didn’t score any runs
Seventh ball: A no-ball gave one run
Eighth ball: No-ball, Darius hit a six, 7 runs scored
Ninth ball: Darius hit a six
Vanuatu offered a spirited performance in their pursuit to post a competitive score for their team. They were however able to make 164 runs for the loss of 9 wickets before they failed to chase the target set by Samoa. The match revealed the spirit of rivalry of both the teams and brought into the spotlight the increasing trend of cricket in the East Asia-Pacific region.
This match was particularly important for Darius Visser as it was only the third T20 match of his career. His brilliant performance has led to debate on how he might be used in future Samoan internationals, with many pundits believing that he is Samoa’s best hope for the future of cricket.
