In a historic feat, Samoa's wicket-keeper batter Darius Visser has rewritten cricket history by breaking a 17-year-old record held by India's legendary all-rounder Yuvraj Singh.
In a historic feat, Samoa's wicket-keeper batter Darius Visser has rewritten cricket history by breaking a 17-year-old record held by India's legendary all-rounder Yuvraj Singh. Visser smashed 39 runs in a single over during Samoa's match against Vanuatu in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup Sub Regional East Asia-Pacific Qualifier A event on Tuesday, surpassing Yuvraj's iconic achievement of 36 runs in one over.
The match, played at Garden Oval No.2 in Apia, saw Visser unleash a breathtaking display of power-hitting in the 15th over. Facing Vanuatu seamer Nalin Nipiko, Visser hammered six towering sixes and capitalized on three no-balls to amass 39 runs in the over. This remarkable performance eclipsed Yuvraj's record, set in the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007 against England's Stuart Broad, and more recent efforts by Kieron Pollard (2021), Nicholas Pooran (2024), and Dipendra Singh Airee (2024), all of whom also scored 36 runs in a single over.
🚨WORLD RECORD CREATED IN MEN’S T20 LEVEL 1 OVER 39 RUNS
Darius Visser scored 39 runs in match between Samoa Vs Vanuatu
(🎥 - ICC) pic.twitter.com/sXiyrlxjtE
Visser's onslaught began with three consecutive sixes off the first three deliveries. He continued his dominance by clearing the boundary rope once again with the fourth legal delivery. Nipiko momentarily halted the barrage with a dot ball on the fifth delivery, but Visser quickly regained momentum, smashing another six off the third no-ball of the over. He capped off the over with another maximum, ensuring his place in cricket history and becoming the first player from Samoa to score a century in international cricket.
Watch: History created in Samoa as 39 runs are scored from one over in qualifying 😲https://t.co/29QOsAkwIb
— ICC (@ICC)Visser's stunning innings included a total of 14 sixes, just four short of the record for the most sixes hit by a single batter in a men's T20I. His blistering knock of 132 from just 62 deliveries was instrumental in Samoa securing their second victory in the Qualifier A event, keeping their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 T20 World Cup alive.