Samoa's Darius Visser hits 39 runs in an over to break T20I record

Samoa batter Darius Visser made history at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Sub Regional East Asia-Pacific Qualifier A match on Tuesday, setting a new record for the highest runs scored in a single over of a men's T20I match.

Playing at Garden Oval No.2 in Apia, Samoa, Visser hammered six sixes off the bowling of Vanuatu's Nalin Nipiko, who also bowled three no balls in the crucial 15th over.

This onslaught resulted in a total of 39 runs being conceded, surpassing the previous record of 36 runs set by Yuvraj Singh in the inaugural ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2007, along with recent efforts by Kieron Pollard (2021), Nicholas Pooran (2024), Dipendra Singh Airee (2024), and Rohit Sharma / Rinku Singh (2024).

Visser began the over by dispatching sixes off the first three deliveries, then cleared the boundary again on the fourth legal delivery to help his team reach a century. Despite a dot ball on the fifth delivery, Visser's momentum continued as he smashed another six off the third no ball of the over, ending with a powerful strike to secure the record.

This remarkable feat not only established a new benchmark in men's T20I cricket but also marked Samoa's first international century, as Visser's aggressive innings of 132 runs from just 62 balls propelled his team to their second victory in the tournament. Samoa's triumph keeps their aspirations alive for qualifying for the next T20 World Cup in 2026.