.jpg?w=480&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max)
Samoa's Darius Visser shattered legendary Yuvraj Singh's record on Tuesday, 20 August. While playing in the T20 World Cup qualifiers, Visser hit 39 runs in a single over to score the highest runs in a single over in the T20I format of the game. Visser eclipsed Yuvraj (2007), Kieron Pollard (2021), Dipendra Singh Airee (2024) and Nicholas Pooran's (2024) record - players who had hit 36 runs in a single over in the T20I format.
In the process, Visser also became the first Samoan cricketer to score a century in the T20I format of the game. Visser's 132 off 62 balls helped Samoa to a 10-run victory over Vanuatu in a 2026 World Cup regional qualifier on Tuesday.
Visser, who scored 132 off 62 balls, was on 46 when Vanuatu's Nalin Nipiko stepped up to bowl the 15th over, in which the Samoa batter cleared the ropes on six occasions and faced three no balls. Nipiko bowled a dot ball for the fifth delivery of the over but followed it up with two no balls, with 28-year-old Visser hitting the second of them for a six.
Visser finished with 14 sixes and five fours.
Yuvraj hit England's Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over in a 2007 T20 World Cup match, Pollard meted out the same treatment to Sri Lanka's Akila Dananjaya in 2021, with Airee becoming the third batsman to achieve the feat in April. The record in one-day internationals is 36, scored by South Africa's Herschelle Gibbs and US batter Jaskaran Malhotra.
Visser, who also took the wicket of Vanuatu batter Ronald Tari, powered Samoa to a total of 174, which they were able to defend to claim their second victory in the East Asia-Pacific qualifying tournament.
Yuvraj Singh's 36-run over against Stuart Broad in the 2007 T20 World Cup is one of the most iconic moments in cricket history. The event took place on September 19, 2007, during the India-England match at Kingsmead in Durban, South Africa. Yuvraj, then 26 years old, was determined to make a statement after a few words were exchanged with Andrew Flintoff, which fueled his anger and competitive spirit.
In the 19th over, Yuvraj faced Broad, who was only 19 years old at the time. Broad, lacking the experience and variety in his bowling, primarily relied on yorkers. Yuvraj, fueled by his anger and a desire to prove himself, took advantage of Broad's inexperience. He hit six consecutive sixes, all in the 126-130 km/h range, showcasing his exceptional power and skill.
Yuvraj's mindset was focused and clear, and he did not initially realise he had struck six in a row. The over was a turning point in the match, as India went on to win by 20 runs. This performance not only made Yuvraj the first Indian to hit six sixes in an international match but also marked a significant moment in the evolution of T20 cricket.
