Sir Garfield Sobers: The Pioneer
The very first man to achieve this incredible feat in first-class cricket was the legendary West Indian all-rounder, Sir Garfield Sobers. On August 31, 1968, playing for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan, Sobers unleashed an assault on bowler Malcolm
Nash. With his team needing quick runs, Sobers hit Nash for six consecutive maximums in a single over. The fifth ball was dramatically caught on the boundary, but the fielder, Roger Davis, stumbled over the rope, making it a six. Sobers calmly dispatched the final ball to enter the history books forever.
Ravi Shastri: The Indian Equaliser
It took 16 years for Sobers' feat to be matched, and it was India's Ravi Shastri who did it in style. Playing for Bombay against Baroda in a Ranji Trophy match in January 1985, Shastri hit left-arm spinner Tilak Raj for 36 runs in an over. This explosive display was part of a historic innings where Shastri scored the fastest-ever double-century in first-class history at the time, reaching 200 in just 113 minutes. Shastri has often recalled that he only realised the opportunity after hitting the fifth six when he saw his teammates gathered at the boundary.
Herschelle Gibbs: The World Cup First
The first time the world witnessed six sixes in an over on the international stage was during the 2007 ODI World Cup. South Africa's Herschelle Gibbs took on Netherlands leg-spinner Daan van Bunge and etched his name into folklore. Gibbs, known for his aggressive style, became the first player to achieve the feat in an ODI. He later admitted that after the third six, he felt something special was on the cards and decided to go for the record, scoring a blistering 72 off just 40 balls.
Yuvraj Singh: The T20 Tussle
Arguably the most famous instance for Indian fans came in the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007. After a heated exchange with England's Andrew Flintoff, a fired-up Yuvraj Singh unleashed his fury on a young Stuart Broad. In a display of pure timing and power, Yuvraj sent all six balls of the 19th over into the Durban sky, clearing the ropes with ease. During this onslaught, he also raced to the fastest fifty in T20I history, reaching the milestone in just 12 balls.
Kieron Pollard: The Caribbean Carnage
West Indian powerhouse Kieron Pollard joined the T20I club in March 2021 in a match against Sri Lanka. The context was extraordinary: Pollard achieved his feat against Akila Dananjaya, the same bowler who had taken a hat-trick in his previous over. Undeterred, Pollard counter-attacked in the most devastating fashion possible, hitting six consecutive sixes to turn the game on its head and become the second player to do so in a T20 International.
The Expanding Club: Other Heroes
While the above instances are the most famous in top-tier international and first-class cricket, the exclusive club has expanded over the years. USA's Jaskaran Malhotra hit six sixes in an ODI against Papua New Guinea in 2021. More recently, Nepal's Dipendra Singh Airee became the third man to do it in a T20I, smashing six sixes against Qatar in April 2024. Other players like Thisara Perera, Ross Whiteley, and Leo Carter have also achieved the feat in various domestic T20 and List A matches, proving that the art of power-hitting continues to evolve.
