Australian blind cricketer Steffan Nero has rewritten the record books, netting an unbeaten 309 balls from 140 against New Zealand in the International Cricket Inclusion Series to guide the hosts to a 270-run victory in Brisbane.
During a three-hour batting master class, the opening batsman smashed 49 fours and a six, the first of the series, to help Australia register a whopping team of 2/542 overall from 40 overs.
The Kiwis were rolled in response to 272, with Nero completing five runouts as the wicketkeeper.
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His triple century surpasses the previous world record of 262 not outs set by Pakistan’s Masood Jan at the 1998 Blind Cricket World Cup.
Nero is only the eighth Australian to score a treble in all formats, joining an illustrious list of cricketing greats including Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke and David Warner.
“It’s the first time I’ve played an ODI in a while,” he said, as reported by News Corp.
“It got difficult at times. There were times when I got pretty tired, mentally too, and I thought I’d drop out.
“It’s difficult for any sighted cricketer to bat that many overs, for blind cricketers we expend so much more energy trying to concentrate – the glare also becomes a big factor.
“I had really good support from the other guys and I definitely didn’t do it on my own. People around me just told me to push. I was so broken but always found it within me to keep going.
“It hasn’t arrived yet, but as the days and weeks go by I will see what an achievement that is.”
Nero has congenital nystagmus, meaning his brain doesn’t get a clear message about what his eyes are seeing.
Having batted in the tournament two hundred years earlier, Nero’s streak batting average climbs to 523.00 with an astounding batting average of 224.5. He scored 113 (46) and 101 not outs (47) in the T20 games against New Zealand.
“It’s a dream to play for Australia, making a century for Australia is one of those lifetime memories that you never forget,” said Nero.
“It’s good for me to reflect and celebrate. My ultimate goal is to get good runs against the best teams in the world, namely India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. They are the top league.”
Australia’s blind side play five T20 and three one-day internationals against New Zealand, with the series expected to end on Friday.
This year’s International Cricket Inclusion Series marks the first time blind, deaf and mentally challenged teams have played international cricket since 2018, with previous matches having been canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The media exposure was absolutely amazing,” said Nero, as reported by abc news.
“Because we are in the mainstream media, we want to create awareness there so that normal people can see our sport, but also other visually impaired people.
“That means they might see it on the news and push for it and strive to play too.”