How many cricket players have hit six sixes in an over?
The first and second instances of six consecutive sixes in a first-class over occurred almost 17 years apart. Since then, similar feats have been accomplished in three domestic top-flight 20-over matches, an international T20, and an international ODI; however, the ideal Test Match over has yet to be achieved.
The list of every wizard with a willow stick who has hit six sixes in an over in elite domestic or international cricket is provided below.
1. Sir Garfield Sobers
On August 31, 1968, the colorful West Indian all-rounder became the first player to accomplish the feat. Malcolm Nash entered the game to bowl for Nottinghamshire while Sobers was leading the team against Glamorgan.
Running up to the crease, Nash had no clue that the over would, sadly, constitute the greater part of his cricket legacy. Sobers scored six runs on five consecutive flawless hits, but was caught on the boundary with the sixth one.
Though short-lived, Glamorgan relief was enhanced when fielder Roger Davis carried the ball over the rope, making it the first over in history to be hit for six sixes and adding to the achievement’s legendary status.
In the 2016 T20 World Cup final, Carlos Braithwaite appeared to be headed toward being the second West Indies player to hit six consecutive sixes, but he ran out of runs to make it happen. In the first four balls of the last over, he hit Ben Stokes for four straight sixes, taking the trophy with him.
2. Ravi Shastri
On 19th January 1985, Shastri, more commonly known as a defensive player, became the second ever cricketer to hit six sixes in an over.
The current India coach is also known for calling the action from the commentary box and has developed a reputation as one of the finest in the business, but it was with willow in hand which he first wrote his name into the history books.
Playing for Bombay against Baroda, he hit left-arm spinner Tilak Raj for 36 in six balls.
Shastri’s personal connection with the feat of six sixes in an over would not stop there and, 22 years later, on a warm spring evening in Durban, he would be the man to call the action during another completion of this remarkable feat.
3. Herschelle Gibbs
Hitting six sixes in an over seemed to be etched in Gibbs’ destiny. From the middle of the 1990s until 2010, he was the most thrilling and explosive batsman in South Africa.
He hit Daan van Bunge of the Netherlands for the full complement of six sixes in an over during the 2007 World Cup.
The flamboyant right-hander flattened and lofted van Bunge’s shots with astounding skill. As of right now, Gibbs is the only man and the first to accomplish the feat both internationally and in a 50-over World Cup match.
4. Yuvraj Singh
Few people will ever forget Singh’s attack on the England cricket team and the unfortunate Stuart Broad in a spring 2007 World Cup T20 match in South Africa. Andrew Flintoff and Yuvraj had gotten into a furious fight before to Broad bowling the 19th over.
But over the next six balls, Broad would ultimately pay the price as an enraged Singh exacted his masterful retaliation.
With the most immaculate timing and shot selection, “Yuvi” dismissed an England seamer who was shell-shocked six times in a row without breaking a sweat.
Once more, Shastri was the one in charge when Singh was at the top of his game, so who better to be making the calls?
Singh is no longer playing, but his mastery that evening will go on as long as the game is played.
5. Ross Whitely
During a T20 Blast encounter at Headingley in July 2017, Worcestershire Rapids’ Whitely became a member of the select club after hitting six consecutive maximums off Yorkshire Vikings spinner Karl Carver’s bowling.
Sadly, the batter from Sheffield’s efforts were in futile as the Rapids lost. In an incredible match, David Willey—the man who eventually sent him back to the dressing room—also smashed a match-winning 118 off 55 balls.
6. Hazratullah Zazai
The second entry on this list originates from the less well-known Afghanistan Premier League (T20), when Zazai bludgeoned his way into legend off of deliveries made by the unfortunate Abdullah Mazari.
The Kabul Zwanan batsman struck vicious blows on several occasions, coming dangerously close to leaving the stadium entirely.
7. Leo Carter
In January 2020, Canterbury Kings batsman Leo Carter became the first person to join this exclusive club after hitting an incredible six sixes in one over in his team’s Twenty20 encounter against the Northern Knights.
In the Super Smash tournament in New Zealand, Carter amassed an incredible 70 runs off of just 29 balls, including six consecutive sixes. With seven balls remaining, he helped Canterbury Kings win by seven wickets.
8. Kieron Pollard
After more than a year, Kieron Pollard became the next player to write their name in the annals of history, accomplishing the feat in March 2021 for the West Indies against Sri Lanka. In addition to being just the third player in international cricket history to do so after Yuvraj and Herschelle Gibbs, Pollard became the first player to knock six sixes in an over since Singh in 2007. Given that bowler Akila Dananjaya had just taken a hat-trick in his previous over, Pollard’s achievement was all the more remarkable.
9. Thisara Perera
Two then arrived at once in March 2021, like to waiting for a bus, with Thisara Perera trailing Pollard a few weeks after. In a List-A match, all-rounder Perera batted for Army Sports CC against Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club. With an astounding performance, Perera became the second-fastest half-century in List A cricket history with a total score of 52 off just 13 balls. In all of professional cricket, he also made history by becoming the first Sri Lankan to hit six sixes in a single over.