Middle-order batter makes history with record-breaking innings
In only his third international match, Samoan cricketer Darius Visser wrote his name in the history books by hitting an incredible six sixes in one over against Vanuatu during the T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Region Qualifier in Samoa's capital Apia. Not only did Visser achieve the rare feat of six maximums in an over, but he also set a new record by scoring an astounding 39 runs from the nine balls faced.
Visser, who only recently decided to represent Samoa thanks to his mother's heritage, was promoted up the order during his team's match against Vanuatu. Facing medium pacer Nalin Nipiko's bowling, Visser unleashed an incredible hitting display by clearing the boundary rope with each delivery of the unfortunate over. His boundary-laden assault saw him join an exclusive club featuring legendary cricketers like Gary Sobers and Yuvraj Singh as just the third batter to achieve six sixes in an international T20 match.
While some questioned the feat given the smaller dimensions of the ground and rustic nature of the facilities, Visser's achievement is still a truly remarkable one. An over consisting of six successive sixes requires the stars to perfectly align with both batter and bowler enjoying — or enduring — the match of their lives. Even the best hitting talents in the modern game like Chris Gayle and Rohit Sharma are still awaiting this elusive feat.
Visser may have benefited from factors like the slow surface and full deliveries on offer. However, the magnitude of his record-breaking performance should not be diminished. Nipiko has an impressive career T20 record himself, and big scalps on his CV, proving that capitulations can happen to anyone on an outlier day. Overall, Visser's epic innings is one that transcends boundaries and puts his name in the annals of cricketing folklore for a rare feat unlikely to be matched.
