Two Northern Districts batsmen playing in a List A match in Hamilton, New Zealand, on Wednesday, smashed 43 runs off a single over to set a new List A record. The luckless bowler? Pretoria-born Willem Ludick.
Playing for Central Districts, the Waterkloof High School educated Ludick went for a staggering 85 runs off his 10 overs, although to his credit his other nine overs went for just 4.66 runs per over, which was way below the match average. All but one bowler went for five or more runs to the over – that was Warwickshire-born Navin Patel, who bowled just four overs at the top of the innings.
The 21-year-old Ludick was playing in only his fourth List A match, having made his debut on 24 October against Otago, where he took 2-41 off seven overs. He followed that up with 2-27 (again against Otago) on 4 November.
Ludick was playing in a Ford Trophy fixture when the Northern Districts pair of Joe Carter and Brett Hampton smashed Ludick’s last over for 43 runs off what turned out to be an eight-ball over.
Hampton teed off with a four before slamming two sixes, both off no-balls as they were delivered waist high. A third six followed off the next ball, after which Hampton took a single. His batting partner, Carter (playing his fifth List A match), then hammered each of the last three balls for six as the pair rewrote the record books.
Ludick’s over read: 4 – 6 (nb) – 6 (nb) – 6 – 1 – 6 – 6 – 6.
His bowling figures went south rapidly, as his nine over return of 1-42 plummetted to 1-85.
Having come together with the score on 95-5, Hampton and Carter added 178 for the sixth wicket. Hampton fell for 95 off 66 balls, while Carter ended undefeated on 102 off 77 balls.
Northern Districts ended on 313-7 off their 50 overs, to which Central Districts answered with 288-9, to lose by 25 runs. Batting at number three in the Central Districts order, Ludick scored 26 off 41 balls in the run chase.
Main photo: Carl Fourie/Gallo Images
Additional photo: Matt Roberts-ICC/Getty Images
