Samoa's Darius Visser has entered the record books after a sensational batting display at the first of two East Asia Pacific sub-regional qualifiers today.

Playing in the Samoan capital of Apia, and batting first, the initial stages of Samoa's innings gave little hint at what was to come. Opening the bowling with the medium pace of Darren Wotu and the crafty left-arm spin of Vanuatu Cricket CEO Tim Cutler, Samoa were 24-4 after the six powerplay overs, with Cutler and Wotu picking up a brace of wickets each.

Visser, who'd entered the fray in the fourth over, hit the first six of his innings in the seventh over, but even at the halfway stage, Samoa were only on 52-4 and not looking like they were going to make a big score. Nine runs came from the 11th over including a second six from Visser, but Samoa looked to be back on the back-foot when Cutler came back into the attack and conceded two runs in a wicket-taking twelfth over.

Another six in the 13th over was followed by Cutler's last over which went for five - Cutler finished with 3-11 - but then the carnage began. Nalin Nipiko came on to bowl his third over, with Visser promptly hitting the first three balls over the rope. A no-ball followed with the free hit the next ball going for six. The next ball was - mercifully - a dot as a straight drive hit the stumps at the bowler's end, but this was followed by another no-ball. The free-hit delivery - also a no-ball was dispatched for six, as was the final delivery. Visser had become the fourth batter to hit six sixes in a men's T20I over, and the three no-balls made it a men's T20I record 39 runs off the over.

Darius Visser during his record breaking innings (Samoa International Cricket Association)

The boundaries kept on flowing from Visser's bat. His 100 - the first for Samoa in T20Is - was brought up in 51 balls from the first ball of the 18th over, and he still wasn't finished. He finally fell in the last over when he was caught having scored 132 from 62 balls. The innings ended with two more run outs and Samoa were all out for 174.

The second highest score in the Samoan innings was captain Caleb Jasmat's 16 with the 75.86% of the total scored by Visser also being a record for men's T20Is.

Visser wasn't finished for the day as he also took a wicket in the Vanuatu reply, though the best bowler was Douglas Finau who took 3-34. Nalin Nipiko went some way to making up for the 39 runs he conceded in that 15th over by scoring 73 from 52 balls, but that wasn't enough as they fell short of their target at 164-9, losing by just ten runs.

The second game of the day was, in it's own way, also an eventual one as Fiji - winless from their first two games - turned over the Cook Islands who had been so dominant in their wins against Vanuatu and Samoa. Batting first, Fiji scored 173-7, Apete Sokovagone top scoring with 62 from 37 balls.

In reply, just one Cook Islands batter reached double figures as they were restricted to 69-9, losing by 104 runs. Peni Dakainivanua was the pick of the Fijian bowlers with 3-11.

As a result of today's matches this sub-regional qualifier has been blown wide open. From what looked to be a straight shoot-out between the Cook Islands and Vanuatu to the present position where Samoa are top of the table on net run rate with Vanuatu currently propping up the table. Tomorrow's play will see Samoa take on Fiji in the first game followed by the Cook Islands playing Vanuatu in the second.