Great West Indies cricketer Sir Garry Sobers created history on 31 August 1968 by hitting 6 sixes in an over.
Every day some records are made and broken in the game of cricket. There are some performances in the history of cricket which can never be forgotten and those three historical performances are – Brian Lara’s unbeaten 501 runs at Edgbaston in 1994, Jim Laker’s 90 runs in 19 balls at Old Trafford in 1956 and Sir Garfield Sobers’ six sixes in an over at Swansea in 1968.
West Indies’ great cricketer Sir Gary Sobers created history on 31 August 1968 by hitting 6 sixes in an over. In which match and against which bowler did he achieve this feat? Let us tell you-
Sir Garfield Sobers came out to bat after Nottinghamshire lost 5 wickets
In the match against Glamorgan in the English County Championship, Sir Garfield Sobers hit 6 sixes in an over. This was the first time such a thing was seen in first-class cricket. In the match, openers Brian Bolus and Bob White gave Nottinghamshire a great start by sharing a partnership of 126 runs, after which Graham Frost scored 50 runs.
Glamorgan bowler Malcolm Nash was back on the attack, dismissing Balos, Frost and wicketkeeper Derek Murray to guide the team back into contention. Nottinghamshire were 308 for 5 when captain Garry Sobers came out to bat.
The score was 358/5 with Sobers unbeaten on 40. Glamorgan captain Tony Lewis then asked bowler Malcolm Nash to bowl spin against Garry Sobers. Nash, who usually bowled medium pace, had other plans and he smashed 6 sixes off 6 balls bowled by Nash.
This is how Sir Garry Sobers hit 6 sixes
On the first ball of the over, Sir Garfield Sobers hit a six towards long-on. The second ball was short, but he used his strength to hit it towards deep square leg. On the third ball, Sobers again went down the ground and hit a classic six. Sobers then completed the six by sending the fourth ball to square leg.
Malcolm Nash felt that Sobers would definitely make a mistake and that is what happened on the fifth ball. Roger Davis took the catch at long-on, but he fell across the boundary rope with the ball in his hands. And then the umpire declared it a six. The last six of the over hit by Sir Garry Sobers went out of the ground and reached the bus stop.
It took time to get the new ball, so Sir Garry Sobers, who was unbeaten on 76, decided to declare the innings. Nottinghamshire won the match by 166 runs.
Since 1968, Ravi Shastri (Ranji Trophy, 1985), Herschelle Gibbs (ODI World Cup, 2007), Yuvraj Singh (T20 World Cup, 2007) and Ross Whiteley (T20 Blast) have hit 6 sixes in competitive cricket.