A batsman hitting six sixes in an over is one of the rarest events in sport. Hole-in-ones, no-hitters and 10-goal victories are all more commonplace.

It is a feat requiring immense power and a fair dollop of fortune, and, of course, a swing-for-the-fences approach that is seldom sensible.

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Only a 10-wicket innings or triple hundred secures a cricketer’s place in the history books like crushing the ball over the fence six times in an over.

The achievement has become more frequent in the T20 age, but it remains a rare occurrence in professional cricket with just a handful of players having managed to go for six in a row.

Starting with the greatest all-rounder in the history of the sport, here are the players who have hit six sixes in an over…

 

Garfield Sobers (1968)

Long before the Indian Premier League was even a concept, Garfield Sobers was the perfect cricketer for it. A genuine middle order batsman with the ability to hit the long ball, a highly skilled bowler and good fielder, Sobers is the best cricketer ever.

Sobers was captaining Nottinghamshire at the time as they faced Glamorgan. Malcom Nash was about to be hit with an unwanted record, as the first bowler to ever give up six sixes in an over.

The first five went out of the ground. Sobers was caught on the boundary on the sixth ball, seemingly saving Nash’s humiliation. Unfortunately, the fielder fell back over the rope, finalising a piece of cricketing history in an improbable manner.

 

Ravi Shastri (1985)

A famous voice in the commentary box and the current coach of the Indian national team, Ravi Shastri has been the voice of some of the greatest moments in recent history.

However, it was in 1985 that he secured his place as the second player ever to hit six sixes in an over.

The best part of two decades after Sobers had done it, Shastri tonked Tilak Raj for 36 off an over in a match between Bombay and Baroda.

 

Herschelle Gibbs (2007)

Throughout his career, Herschelle Gibbs displayed all the qualities to hit six maximums in an over.

In a World Cup match in 2007, he became the first player to do it in international competition, smacking the Netherlands’ Daan van Bunge all over Basseterre.

Gibbs scored a rapid 72, helping South Africa reach a mammoth total of 353 off their 40 overs. The Netherlands lost by 221 runs.

 

Yuvraj Singh (2007)

Yuvraj Singh was an elegant batsman capable of destroying an attack. An altercation with Andrew Flintoff clearly fired him up in 2007, and a young Stuart Broad took the subsequent battering.

Broad stepped up to bowl the 19th over of the World T20 match in South Africa, and the inexperienced seamer quickly lost his composure as Yuvraj sent the ball flying into the stands.

It was the early days of international T20 cricket, when concerns about the state of Test cricket were less prominent. In a wonderful career across different formats, this was Yuvraj’s highlight.

 

Ross Whitely (2017)

David Willey had whacked it to all parts for the Yorkshire Vikings, scoring 118 off 55 balls. It was Ross Whitely who made history, however, in one of the most remarkable Blast matches ever.

The Worcestershire Rapids batsman launched Kyle Carver for six sixes in the 16th over, taking the Rapids to 173 for four. Whitely was dismissed by Willey for 65, however, and Worcestershire fell 37 runs short of Yorkshire’s total.

Worcestershire are always a team to look out for in the Blast’s online cricket betting odds.

 

Hazratullah Zazai (2018)

Becoming the second player in as many years to hit six sixes in an over, Afghan batsman Hazratullah Zazai achieved the feat in the 2018 Afghanistan Premier League for the Kabul Zwanan against the Balkh Legends.

Chris Gayle had scored a quick 80 to set Zazai’s team 245 for victory. Abdullah Mazari bowled the fourth over of the innings, and Zazai took to him, taking 37 off the over.

That display helped Zazai equal Gayle and Yuvraj’s record of a 12-ball 50. Despite his heroics, Kabul fell short of the total.

 

Leo Carter (2020)

Playing in New Zealand’s Super Smash competition, Leo Carter clearly took the name literally as he clobbered six maximums for the Canterbury Kings against the Northern Knights.

The Kings were chasing down a whopping 220 in their 20 overs but reached the total with seven balls to spare thanks to Carter’s 70 off 29 balls.

Cole McConchie accompanied Carter with a quickfire 49, and Anton Devcich’s figures were left looking ugly after Carter’s fireworks.

Carter’s career numbers are underwhelming, but he’s forever alongside some of the game’s greats for his range-hitting against the Knights.

 

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Mark J. Terrill / AP Photo*

Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.

He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.

Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.

Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.