Australian cricketer smashes 300 in just 27 overs, eclipses Viv Richards’ 33-year-old record 

What's the story?

On October 14, West Augusta B-grade batsman Josh Dunstan smashed a triple century inside 27 overs in a 35-over-a-side match against Central Stirling. During the course of the innings, Dunstan hit 40 sixes as he accounted for a whopping 86.72 percent of his team’s total of 354.

By doing so, he eclipsed Sir Viv Richard’s world record of having scored the highest percentage of runs in a completed innings.

Speaking after the match, the 32-year-old Dunstan told news.com.au, “It hasn’t sunk in yet — I’m actually in shock still. I’d had a few quiet beers with my mates the night before, so I wasn’t thinking about too much when I got out there other than hit the ball and try not to get out.

“I got to 100 and the boys were cheering me on. It felt like a few overs later I was on 200 and then I went on with it. I was pretty happy with that,” he said.

In case you didn’t know…

Up until Saturday, the West Indian legend Richards held the record for the highest percentage of runs in a completed innings.

His knock of 189 against England at Old Trafford in 1984 had accounted for 69.48 percent of the team’s total of 272/9 and the record stood for 33 years.

The heart of the matter

Dunstan, who is known for his big hitting, came to the crease at the fall of the first wicket in the third over of the innings. By the time Central Stirling managed to bowl him out, he had plundered 40 sixes on his way to 307, a club record.

Dunstan started off in style, getting off the mark with a six but he survived a close scare while batting on 16. However, after that, there was no stopping him. He was involved in a 203-run seventh-wicket partnership with Ben Russell, who scored 18 and contributed just 5 runs in the partnership. Russell’s score was the second highest in the team.

What’s next?

It is unlikely that Dunstan will ever play international cricket but he can definitely look forward to an A-grade contract with West Augusta.

Author’s take

It is a surprise that Richards’ record survived for so long. With the introduction of T20 cricket, limited overs cricket saw a considerable increase in the acceleration of scoring rates. Yet, no one had managed to overhaul Richards’ feat up until Saturday.

Kudos to Dunstan for playing the innings of his life. For now, he can enjoy a kind comparison with the West Indian great and being the toast of West Augusta.