JP Duminy goes ballistic, beats Herschelle Gibbs with a 37-run over

The 33-year-old tore into Knights legspinner Eddie Leie and hit him for five sixes, a four and a double in a seven-ball over -- on account of a no-ball.

Reuters

 South African JP Duminy has already called time on his Test and first-class career, so it's all the more important for him to keep doing wondrous things as far as limited-overs cricket is concerned in order to compete with up-and-coming players for a place in the national team.

In keeping with that target, the left-handed batsman in Cape Cobras colours stunned the world earlier this week by taking 37 runs off an over in a Momentum One-Day Cup match.

The 33-year-old, who also has the distinction of captaining Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League (IPL), tore into Knights legspinner Eddie Leie and hit him for five sixes, a four and a double in a seven-ball over -- on account of a no-ball.

With that, Duminy set a new South African List A record of scoring maximum runs in a single over. The record previously belonged to former Proteas opener Herschelle Gibbs who had scored 36 runs in an over in a World Cup match against the Netherlands in 2007, thanks to six consecutive sixes off the bowling of DLS van Bunge.

Duminy, however, just fell two runs short of a world record in List A cricket, owned by Zimbabwe's Elton Chigumbura who had scored 39 runs in an over bowled by Alauddin Babu in the Dhaka Premier League in 2013.      

"It is not every day you get the opportunity, so of course I was trying to go for the six sixes in an over," Duminy said after scoring a blistering 70 not out off 37 balls.

He also explained what prompted him to go ballistic out of nowhere. "I initially thought it was all about the bonus point. I looked up at the scoreboard and we needed 35 with four overs still to go to get the bonus point, so I just decided to take Eddie on.

"I was striking the ball really cleanly, and when the first two went for six, I figured I might as well give it a full go now because regardless whether I get out we would still have secured the bonus point. It was enjoyable," he said.