Six-hitting has become a prominent facet of cricket, thanks to the fast-paced nature of limited-over formats.
And it’s no surprise that batters also have a flair for sending the ball flying into the stands. But nailing every delivery of an over for a maximum is not everyone’s cup of tea.
However, a few batting maniacs have pulled off this feat with much comfort, and that too on the international level.
So, let’s look at the batters who have hit 6 sixes in an over in international cricket (ODI & T20I).
6 Sixes in an Over in ODI Cricket
Herschelle Gibbs (South Africa) vs Netherlands, 2007
South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs became the first-ever batter to smash 6 sixes in an over in international cricket. He unleashed his batting prowess against the Netherlands’ Daan van Bunge during their encounter in the 2007 World Cup.
It was the 30th over of South Africa’s innings, and Gibbs was batting on 32 runs (off 30 balls). But then van Bunge faced the wrath of the Proteas batter.
Gibbs sent the first ball over the long on. He smashed the next 2 deliveries over long off, bringing up his fifty in 33 balls.
Gibbs hoicked the fourth ball over the deep midwicket region and pulled the next one over wide long off. He then took the leg spinner over the deep midwicket to stamp his name in the history books.
Jaskaran Malhotra (USA) vs Papua New Guinea, 2021
Jaskaran Malhotra became only the second (overall) and first associate cricketer to hit 6 sixes in an over in the 50-over format.
He had already completed his century, but he was in no mood to slow down. Rather, he accelerated his run-scoring by smashing boundaries.
Jaskaran took his boundary hitting to the next level in the 50th and last over of the USA’s innings. He tore apart Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) Gaudi Toka, taking him to the cleaners.
Jaskaran started the over by hitting the first ball over long-on, following it up with 2 sixes over extra cover and long-off regions. He hammered the fourth and fifth balls over long-on and long-off.
The last ball was a full toss, which he slapped towards the square leg to hit 6 maximums in a row. The right-hand batter remained unbeaten on 173 runs.
Also Read | 5 Youngest Batters to Score Double Century in ODIs
6 Sixes in an Over in T20I Cricket
Yuvraj Singh (India) vs England, 2007
6 months after Herschelle Gibbs mayhem, India’s Yuvraj Singh repeated the feat, although in the newer T20I format. Yuvraj Singh’s spectacle came against England during the 2007 T20 World Cup.
Before the rampage, Andrew Flintoff and Yuvraj had a heated exchange, which must have pumped up the latter to some extent. However, that left Stuart Broad on the receiving end of all the drama.
Yuvraj Singh effortlessly smacked the ball, clearing the boundary ropes in each of the 6 balls. The left-hander sent the first ball out of the park over the cow corner.
He flicked the second delivery towards the backward square leg, with the third one going over the extra cover. Yuvraj then slammed the wide full toss towards the backward point region to make it 4 in 4.
He tonked the fifth delivery over midwicket and finished with the sixth six over wide mid-on. With that, Yuvraj Singh became the first batter to smoke 6 sixes in an over in T20Is.
On the last ball, he also brought up his fifty in a mere 12 balls. It was the fastest T20I half-century back then.
Kieron Pollard (West Indies) vs Sri Lanka, 2021
Kieron Pollard put on a masterclass of power-hitting against Sri Lanka in 2021. The West Indies was chasing a moderate target of 132, but Akila Dhananjaya reduced them to 52, picking up a hat-trick in the 4th over.
The Sri Lankan spinner was on cloud nine, but Pollard brought him down to his feet. Pollard unleashed the beast inside him in the last over of the powerplay.
The Caribbean slogged the first ball over long-on. Then he hit the next one straight into the sightscreen and made it 3 in a row by clearing the fence over wide long-off.
Pollard continued his carnage, sending the fourth ball flying over the deep midwicket. He smokes the next one in front of the wickets and ends it with a fiery six over deep midwicket.
Dipendra Singh Airee (Nepal) vs Qatar, 2024
Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee became the third entrant on this elite list. He smacked 6 sixes in an over against Qatar’s Kamran Khan during the ACC Premier Cup.
However, this was not the first time Airee showed his six-hitting skills. During the 2023 Asian Games, he hit 6 sixes in a row, although it spanned across 2 overs.
But this time, the Napali batter went a step ahead and made history by smashing the maximums in a single over.
This was the final over of Nepal’s innings, and Airee opened it with a massive six over the midwicket and followed it up with a maximum over deep backward point.
Then he fired the third delivery over midwicket to make it 3 in 3. Airee then smoked the fourth ball to a six over deep cover point. He concluded his striking with 2 sixes over the square leg and midwicket regions.
