Border’s Marco Marais entered the record book in style when he smashed the world’s fastest triple century, off 191 balls.
The display of power-hitting shattered a 96-year-old record when he went on the rampage in the 3-day Cup match against Eastern province at Buffalo Park.
Marais came in at No 6 with Border on 84-4, and proceeded to smash 13 sixes and 35 fours, bringing up his 100 off 68 balls, his 200 off 139 balls and finally his 300 off 191 balls.
Border immediately declared, to end the right-hander’s unbeaten 428-run partnership with Brad Williams, who finished with a comparatively sedate 113 from 174 balls. They then bowled Eastern Province out for 212, but chose to bat again, reaching 66-2 as the match petered out to a draw on Saturday.
Marais now sits second on the competition’s leading run-scorers list, with his 503 runs – three more than the goal he set for himself for the entire season – coming at the inflated average of 251.50.
The record for the previous quickest first-class triple-ton – in terms of balls faced – was held by former Australia batsman Charles Macartney, who took 221 balls to achieve the feat in a 1921 tour match against Nottinghamshire.
Marais now sits alongside the likes of West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards and former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith on the fastest first-class triple-hundred list.
Just to show it was no fluke, Marais then scored 76 off 47 balls with three fours and six sixes in a losing cause as Border went down to Eastern Province by 24 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis system in a 50-over match on Sunday.
Fastest recorded triple centuries in first-class cricket
Marco Marais, 191 balls – Border against Eastern Province, 2017
Charles Macartney, 221 balls – Australians against Nottinghamshire, 1921
Frank Wooley, 230 balls – MCC v Tasmania, 1912
Ken Rutherford, 234 balls – New Zealanders v DB Close’s XI, 1986
Viv Richards, 244 balls – Somerset v Warwickshire, 1985
Kusal Perera, 244 balls – Colts v Saracens, 2012-13
Kithuruwan Vithanage, 245 balls – Tamil UC & AC v SL Air Force SC, 2014-15
Graeme Smith, 249 balls – Somerset v Leicestershire, 2005
Photo: Michael Sheehan/Gallo Images
