For one team to score 210 runs in a Twenty20 match is an extraordinary feat, but for one man to make 210 runs in a Twenty20 match is unbelievable.
To put this feat into perspective, there are only 120 legal balls in one innings and to imagine that a batsman has to share these balls with his teammates, a maximum of 10 other players, 210 runs by one batsman is just unimaginable.
But cricket lovers on St. Maarten witnessed this right before their eyes; Shivnarine Chanderpaul smashing 210 runs off just 76 balls in the Adam Sanford Cricket4Life Twenty20 tourney at the Caribe Lumber Ballpark.
This innings was intentionally played by Chanderpaul, who has always been purposeful about his batting through his 21 years of international cricket.
The Sanford All Stars were facing early elimination from the Playoffs because of a first match loss and then Anguilla Tigers romped up 227 off 20 overs on Friday to secure one of the playoff spots. And on Saturday morning, the General Auto Repairs Spartans defeated the Kalinago Braves from Dominica to secure the second semi-final spot.
With only one more spot available and the stakes high, Chanderpaul played a delightful innings on Saturday afternoon to satisfy the appetite of the numerous fans at the ground.
He was sent to open the batting with Dwayne Smith against the Mad Dogs, a team from USA and ensured his team held on to the third and last playoff spot by virtue of a healthy net run rate. His team posted a massive 303 runs to win by the wide margin 192 runs.
Chanderpaul, who is known for his dogged attitude towards batting and the high prize he placed on his wicket, showed the local fans that he could go through the gears quickly. He blasted 25 fours and 13 sixes to ensure that 50 percent of the balls he faced went to and beyond the boundary.
Smith, who is known more for his explosive batting, was surprisingly overshadowed by Chanderpaul. Smith hit a blazing 54 off 29 balls with eight fours and two sixes.
Although the match on Saturday was not an official match, 210 runs by a batsman is easily a record cherished in any type of cricket. The highest individual T20 score of a batsman is 175 not out by Chris Gayle for the Royal Bangalore Challenger (RBC) in the IPL in 2013.
The Mad Dog response was quiet, but Prasanna Ramaswamy clobbered a fast 59 off 29 balls with eight fours and three sixes. He was the only player on his team in double figures. The bowler for the All Stars with best bowling figures was Antum Naqvi with 4-0-18-3.
The All Stars’ quest for the championship trophy was cut short by the eventual winner of the trophy and top prize money, the General Auto Repairs Spartans. (The Daily Herald)
