Australia Test off-spinnner Nathan Lyon was bitten by a Redbacks batsman with the wind in his sails
Rampaging Ross sets new single over high
West End Redbacks batsman Alex Ross entered the history books on Friday when he clobbered Test off-spinner Nathan Lyon in an epic over of carnage at Hurstville Oval.
Ross clocked four sixes and two fours off Lyon for a grand sum of 32 runs, the most ever struck by an Australian off an over in List A cricket.
The right-hander hit Lyon for four from the first ball of the 40th over before sending the next two deliveries over the leg-side fence.
History repeated as the fourth ball was crunched for four – this time through the off-side – before a brace of maximums ended the record-breaking over.
Ross's 32 runs also equals AB de Villiers's record for most runs in a List A match on Australian soil, matching the total he blasted against West Indies in the 2015 World Cup at the SCG.
Asked whether he was trying to blast six sixes against Test veteran Lyon, Ross replied: "I tried my very best, yeah.
"Basically once the wind picked up a bit in that over … I tried to get him the over before but he bowled really well.
"I got back in the box and tried to hit him as deep as I could.
"It came off today but next week it might not."
The South Australian surpassed Mark Waugh's previous record of 30, set playing for New South Wales against Zimbabwe in Harare in November 1987.
Waugh launched Mohammad Meman for five consecutive sixes to win the match and finish unbeaten on 93. Meman finished with the unsightly figures of 0-56 from 2.5 overs.
While Waugh, now Australia's limited-overs selector, didn't have enough of a target to reach triple figures, Ross made sure his bruising hitting didn't go to waste.
The 25-year-old was dropped on 31 and 80, but refocused to post his maiden century for South Australia in any form of cricket.
"I generally try to get off strike early," Ross said about his approach today.
"Then me and Weathers (opening batsman Jake Weatherald) talked about having the left-hander there we took an end each and that worked well for us.
"Fortunately it came off today."
The knock, along with Weatherald's own century, lifted the Redbacks to a match-winning total of 6-345 before the Redbacks bowlers dismissed NSW for 301 to move to the top of the JLT One-Day Cup points table.