These men have turned fantasies into reality through the sheer will of their bats!
The art of six-hitting has become a defining aspect of cricket, particularly in the dynamic limited-over formats. It's hardly shocking that batsmen possess a penchant for dispatching the ball over the boundary ropes. Yet, achieving the remarkable feat of hitting every delivery of an over for a maximum is a rare occurrence. Nevertheless, a select few batting maestros have accomplished this feat with incredible ease, even on the grand stage of international cricket. So here they are!
In an international match, Herschelle Gibbs of South Africa made cricket history by being the first batter to ever hit six consecutive sixes in one over. Gibbs accomplished this amazing accomplishment during the 2007 World Cup match against the Netherlands, with Daan van Bunge taking the brunt of his attacks. With 32 runs off 30 balls, Gibbs was leading South Africa in their thirty-first over of the inning. Gibbs struck with authority and precision, clearing the boundary with each delivery in a flurry of strong blows.
Jaskaran Malhotra made history as only the second cricketer overall, and the first from an associate nation, to achieve the rare feat of hitting six sixes in an over in the 50-over format. Despite already reaching his century, Malhotra showed no signs of slowing down, opting to further accelerate his scoring rate by unleashing a barrage of boundaries. In the final over of the USA's innings against Papua New Guinea (PNG), Malhotra launched a merciless assault on bowler Gaudi Toka, clearing the ropes six times consecutively to conclude his innings unbeaten on 173 runs.
India's Yuvraj Singh achieved the feat, this time in the T20I format against England during the 2007 T20 World Cup. A heated exchange with Andrew Flintoff seemed to fuel Yuvraj's determination, with Stuart Broad bearing the brunt of his onslaught. Yuvraj effortlessly dispatched each delivery over the boundary ropes. The left-hander started by launching the first ball over the cow corner, followed by consecutive sixes flicked towards the backward square leg and dispatched over extra cover. He then capitalised on a wide full toss, slamming it towards the backward point to make it four in four. The fifth delivery was dispatched over midwicket, and the sixth sailed over wide mid-on.
Yuvraj Singh’s historic over with Dhoni at the non-strikers end
In a batting masterclass against Sri Lanka in 2021, Kieron Pollard demonstrated his command of the power hit. The West Indies had a manageable target of 132, but with to a hat-trick by Akila Dhananjaya in the fourth over, they were reduced to 52, giving Sri Lanka the upper hand. Nevertheless, in the last over of the powerplay, Pollard quickly reversed the situation. He smacked the first ball over long-on with pure power, then struck a straight shot that flew into the sightscreen. Making it three in a row, he then went on to clear the fence over the wide long-off. Pollard was unfazed and carried on with his assault, hitting the fifth delivery in front of the wickets after putting the fourth ball over deep midwicket.
Against Kamran Khan of Qatar in the ACC Premier Cup, Nepal's Dipendra Singh Airee produced an incredible show of power hitting, becoming the third cricketer to knock six sixes in one over. When Airee struck a string of maximums in the last over of Nepal's innings, it was a historic occasion.
Records like this are few and far between, which highlights its importance. These players prove the dynamic and unpredictable nature of the game!
