Wellington batsman Michael Bracewell smashed his way into the record books this afternoon with a stunning match-winning century against Central Districts.
Bracewell cracked 141 not out from 65 balls at Pukekura Park in New Plymouth, helping the Firebirds chase down the hosts' 227-4 with two wickets and one ball to spare in the Super Smash.
His knock was the highest recorded in New Zealand and the third-best score by a Kiwi batsman in Twenty20 cricket history, trailing only a pair of unbeaten innings of 158 plundered by Brendon McCullum.
Bracewell flew past the previous best T20 score in this country - Martin Guptill's 120 not out for Auckland against Canterbury a decade ago - in what was remarkably the first century of his T20 career.
The 30-year-old hit 11 fours and 11 sixes on a field with admittedly small boundaries and, only adding to the immensity of his feat, his side needed every last one of them.