Who’d be a bowler when batsmen are on song?
WELLINGTON: Central Districts mediumpacer Willem Ludick earned an unwanted place in the record books yesterday when Northern Districts took 43 runs off one of his overs in a domestic oneday match in Hamilton.
Northern Districts batsmen Joe Carter and Brett Hampton belted six sixes — two of which were hit off noballs — a four and a single during the firstclass match at Seddon Park.
Carter finished unbeaten on 102, while Hampton was dismissed for 95 as Northern Districts scored 313 for seven in its 50 overs. It eventually won by 25 runs.
Ludick, who gave up more than half the match runs he conceded in that one over, finished with figures of one for 85 off 10 overs.
‘‘It was right at the end and I suppose it was a ‘seeball, hitball’ scenario,’’ Hampton said.
‘‘We got a couple of free no balls which helped us to get going.
‘‘We came together [at the end of the over] and said ‘how many did we get on that?’
‘‘I think we said it was 39. We missed a four there.’’
Although batting greats Ravi Shastri and Garry Sobers famously gave Tilak Raj and Malcolm Nash places in cricket’s Hall of Shame by smashing six sixes from their overs in first class matches, the world record is by no means clear.
South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs also hit six sixes for a tally of 36 off Netherlands legspinner Daan van Bunge during a 2007 World Cup match in St Kitts, the most in an international onedayer.
Website Cricinfo, in what it allows is a potentially incomplete list, awards the firstclass oneday record to Zimbabwe international Elton Chigumbura, who belted 39 off Alauddin Babu during one over in Bangladesh in 2013.
Cricinfo discounted the 77 runs that former New Zealand batsman Robert Vance conceded during a firstclass match against Canterbury in 1990.
Vance deliberately bowled 17 no balls in his over in an effort to entice the Canterbury tailenders to chase victory against the opening batsman’s Wellington side.