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Sylhet - The Netherlands smashed the record for most sixes in an innings on
their way to upsetting Ireland in Sylhet on Friday, romping into the
Super 10 stages in the ICC World Twenty20.
Wesley Barresi hit Tim Murtagh over mid-wicket for the 19th six of the innings to seal an emphatic six wicket win as the Netherlands chased down a daunting 190-run target in just 13.5 overs.
Their rampaging victory means the Netherlands qualify for the Super-10 from Group B at the expense of more fancied Zimbabwe and Ireland. They join Group One in the next round.
In all 30 sixes were hit in the match beating the previous record of 24 set by New Zealand and India at Christchurch in 2009.
Australia previously held the record for most sixes in a Twenty20 innings with 18, smashed against England at Southampton last year.
The Netherlands needed to notch the target in 14.2 overs and they owed their exhilarating chase to a fiery 23-ball 63 by opener Stephan Myburgh, 15-ball 45 by Tom Cooper and an unbeaten 22-ball 40 by Barresi.
The defeat was a heartbreak for Ireland who beat Zimbabwe in their opening match but they failed to stop the rampaging Dutch led by Myburgh.
Myburgh was in a punishing mood as he smashed three sixes in off-spinner Andy McBrine's second over of the innings and then as many sixes and one boundary in one Alex Cusack's over.
He then brought up his second Twenty20 fifty in the event with a sweetly timed boundary off Tim Murtagh, off just 17 deliveries.
The left-hander equalled the second fastest T20 fifty set by rival opener Paul Stirling, hit against Afghanistan in Dubai two years ago.
The record for the fastest T20 fifty is held by India's Yuvraj Singh who hit a 12-ball fifty against England in Durban in 2007.
Myburgh, who smashed seven sixes and four boundaries, finally holed out off George Dockrell at deep mid-wicket boundary with the total at 98.
Cooper carried on from where Myburgh left off, hitting four sixes off Dockrell's 11th over. Cooper's innings had six sixes and a boundary.
Winning captain Peter Borren felt for his rivals.
"I am sad for Ireland," said Borren. "They played very well for 2.5 games. It was Myburgh who set the scene. I am not really sure if I have seen cleaner hitting."
"We beat England in 2009 and that was a pretty special night. I will go back and sing the team song with the rest."
Ireland captain William Porterfield admitted his team fell short.
"We were pretty confident after scoring 189 but it was pretty clean striking and we couldn't do anything."
Ireland had raced to their second highest Twenty20 total of 189/4 with stocky Andrew Poynter hitting a 38-ball 57 while Kevin O'Brien knocked a whirlwind 16-ball 42 to punish a hapless Dutch attack.
Poynter hit four sixes - three in one Michael Swart's over - along with four boundaries while Kevin's knock had four towering sixes and two boundaries.
Together the two added a quickfire 101 off just 45 balls to give real impetus to the Irish innings.
Poynter hit two boundaries and then took a single off Timm van der Gugten to reach his maiden T20 fifty off just 27 balls. He holed out off the last delivery of the final over.
Porterfield hit a 32-ball 47 while Ed Joyce chipped in with a 25-ball 28.
Earlier, Elton Chigumbura's 21-ball 53 took Zimbabwe past the United Arab Emirates' total with 38 balls to spare and five wickets in hand.
Former Zimbabwe captain Chigumbura smashed six boundaries and three sixes to boost his team's net run rate above that of Ireland.
Sean Williams took three wickets for 15 runs while Tendai Chatara and Sikandar Raza picked up two wickets apiece to restrict the UAE to 116/9 in their 20 overs.
