In a monumental inning, Australian blind cricketer Steffan Nero smashed a record-shattering 309* off 140 balls to guide Australia to a massive 270-run win over New Zealand. Nero’s batting masterclass, which included 49 fours and a six, is the highest score for visually impaired cricketers in limited-overs matches. He leapfrogged Pakistan’s Masood Jan, who scored 262* during the 1998 Blind Cricket World Cup.

Nero’s magnificent knock helped Australia post a mammoth 542/2 off 40 overs, as reported by Fox News. The bowlers then bundled out New Zealand for 272, winning the game by 270 runs. Nero was Australia’s star on the field as well as he completed five run-outs as a keeper.

Nero joined the likes of Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke, and David Warner in the list of players who have scored a triple century for the country across formats.

“It’s the first time I’ve played an ODI in a while,” he was quoted as saying by News Corp. “It got difficult at stages. There were times when I was getting quite tired, mentally as well, and I thought I was going to get out,” Nero was quoted by Fox Sports.

“For any fully-sighted cricketer to bat for that amount of overs is tough, for blind cricketers, we use so much more energy to concentrate — the glare becomes a big factor as well. I was really well supported by the other boys and I definitely didn’t do it alone. People around me were just telling me to push. I was that knackered but kept finding it in me to keep pushing,” he added.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet but as the days and weeks pass, I think I’ll realise what an achievement it is.”

Nero has congenital nystagmus, which means that his brain does not receive a clear message of what his eyes are seeing. However, this has not stopped him from shattering records. He has already scored two centuries in the series. His overall average and strike rate in the series are 523 and 224.5 respectively. The Australian blind cricketers’ team is playing a series of five T20Is and three ODIs against New Zealand.

(With inputs from agencies)