Top 5 sixes that won matches

Hitting a six – a tough job? Nay, you’d say. But hitting a six off the last ball? Hesitate a while before you answer! Standing at the striker’s end with the willow in hand facing the last ball, one will definitely feel the pressure of the whole world watching. It’s either got to be a hit or a miss – the former will make his career, while the latter may shatter it into pieces.

The kookaburra comes out of the bowler’s hand for the last time in the match as the batsman swings his willow with all his might. The ball soars up with sheer impulse of the contact and lands outside the ground as the crowd gasps in amazement. Yes, the job is done – the team has won. Hail those incredible masters of the game who have made this a familiar sight.

Presenting the top 5 sixes that won matches:

Javed Miandad (Sharjah, 1986) – against India

When you are talking about last ball sixes, the very first name that pops up in your mind is that of one of the finest Pakistani batsmen of his era. The ‘80s Pakistani team had plenty of stars in the bowling attack under the deft captaincy of Imran Khan, but Javed Miandad created a spot of his own in the team (and in the hearts of the cricketing world) after this unprecedented incredible feat.

Pakistan were facing cross-border rivals India (the then World Champions) in the final of the Australasia Cup. Coming in to bat with a target of 246, Pakistan’s batting order came a cropper, except for one man who ultimately handed them a win that was to be cherished for a long time. Pakistan needed four off the last ball with just a wicket remaining. Little did Chetan Sharma anticipate the shot that would mark his career while he delivered a low full toss. Miandad smashed it over square leg to achieve the unbelievable – the shot that made him a heroic figure and Sharma a villain!

Asif Mujtaba (Hobart, 1992) – against Australia

This wasn’t exactly a match-winning six, but it ensured the match got tied. Australia cruised to 228/7 on a tricky Hobart pitch and it was left to the World Champion Pakistani team to finish the match. Saleem Malik and Rasheed Latif steered Pakistan towards a win, yet the target looked daunting when the equation was reduced to 17 off six balls. Mark Taylor handed the ball to Steve Waugh who failed to do a heroic task and ended up on the receiver’s side as Pakistan tied the match with one wicket remaining, courtesy a fine six by Mujtaba.

Lance Klusener (Napier, 1999) – against New Zealand

Which South African doesn’t remember this famous match against the Kiwis at Napier? The hosts were 2-1 up in the series and the match being reduced to 40 overs a side, Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock displayed some fine bowling as they restricted the Kiwis to 191.

In reply, the Proteas were on course to choke yet again as they required 11 off the last over with a couple of wickets in hand. Needing four off the last ball with Mark Boucher at the non-striker’s end, Klusener lived up to his reputation of being a hard-hitter as he cleared the fence with a massive strike, and helped his team level the series.

Brendon Taylor (Harare, 2006) – against Bangladesh

Zimbabwe batsman Brendon Taylor notched up 16 runs off the last three deliveries in the match – a feat that shot him to overnight fame in the cricketing globe!

The target of 237 was a challenging total which appeared almost impossible to achieve after Bangladeshi medium-pacer Shahadat Hossain scalped a hat-trick. It came down to 17 off the last over and some brilliant bowling by Mashrafe Mortaza meant Zimbabwe needed 16 off the last three deliveries. Taylor was on strike. He unleashed his wrath as Mortaza went for a boundary and an over-boundary off successive balls before the massive six that sealed Zimbabwe’s fate and made Taylor a demi-god in the eyes of his nation.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul (Port of Spain, 2008) – against Sri Lanka

As the Caribbeans locked horns with the Lankans, some fine cricket was on display as Dwayne Bravo scalped four wickets for the hosts, thus restricting the Lankans to 235. It was never a stiff target, but West Indies made the job tough for themselves as they required 13 off six deliveries. Luck proved to be wearing the maroon jersey as Chanderpaul got to face the last two balls.

As the home crowd waited in anticipation of a fairy-tale finish, a calm and docile Chanderpaul didn’t disappoint as he drove the penultimate ball for a four before sealing the game with a massive over-boundary over the mid-wicket. Chaminda Vaas looked flabbergasted as his single mistake – a low full toss – meant Sri Lanka failed to win any of the three matches in that series.