Australian blind cricketer Stephen Niro broke the record not out in 140 balls against New Zealand in an international cricket match. Cricket Inclusion series to guide the hosts to a 270-run victory.
Nero’s significant effort is the highest score for visually impaired cricketers in limited-overs matches, improving the previous world record of 262 not out, set by Masood Jan of Pakistan in blind cricket in 1998. World cup.
A Fox News report said that during the three-hour batting masterclass, the opener hit 49 fours and a six, the first of the series, to help Australia post a total of 542/2 in 40 overs .
In his reply, the Kiwis were bundled out for 272 runs, with Nero taking five runs as the wicket-keeper.
The report said that Nero became the eighth Australian to score a triple century across all formats, joining a stellar list of cricketing greats including Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke and David Warner.
News Corp quoted him as saying, “This is the first time I’ve played an ODI in a while.” “It got difficult in stages. At times I was feeling quite mentally too tired and I thought I was going to get out.”
“It is hard for any full sighted cricketer to bat in so many overs, for blind cricketers, we use a lot of energy to focus – glare becomes a big factor too. I got really good support from other boys and I certainly didn’t do it alone. People around me were just telling me to push. I was equally adept, but kept searching for it in me to keep pushing,” he said.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet, but as the days and weeks go by, I think I’ll realize what an accomplishment it is.”
Nero has congenital nystagmus, which means that his brain doesn’t get a clear message of what his eyes are seeing.
He has already hit two centuries in the tournament and an unbeaten 309 takes his series batting average to 523.00, giving him a mind-boggling strike rate of 224.5.
The Australian team of blind cricketers is playing five T20Is and three One Day Internationals (ODIs) against New Zealand, with the series ending on Friday, the report said.
This edition of the International Cricket Inclusion Series marks the first time blind, deaf and intellectually challenged teams have played international cricket since 2018. Matches in 2020 and 2021 were called off due to the Kovid-19 pandemic.
Get all the latest updates cricket news, cricket pictures, cricket videos And cricket score Here