10 of the biggest sixes of all time

Tendulkar’s monstrous strike in 2003 WCImprovements in fitness and equipment means we are now seeing bigger sixes than ever before. While in the past it was enough to simply clear the rope, for today’s titans it’s all about - to paraphrase Danny Morrison - sending the ball into orbit.Limited-overs cricket has helped too. The sedate longer game demanded excellent defence, but the brash new world pines for ferocious hitting left, right and centre.Here are 10 shots which were not just pummelled over the boundary, but out of the stadium as well. Forget six runs, these huge hits should have been awarded 12.

#1 Yuvraj Singh vs England

It’s a moment no Indian cricket fan will ever forget. When Yuvraj Singh crushed a sixth consecutive Stuart Broad delivery beyond the boundary ropes in the 2007 World Twenty20, the cricketing world stood still and marvelled in the exhibition of effortless force.

A riled up Yuvraj showed no mercy on the young, inexperienced England bowler, swatting him for maximums all around the ground. The first one - a sweet blow into the leg side - was the best, however, and the only doubt was whether it would clear the ground. It did and was last seen on a one-way ticket to a highway somewhere in Durban.

Yuvraj’s feat ensured he became just the second player to ever hit six sixes in an over in international cricket - Herschelle Gibbs managed it earlier that year against the Netherlands in the 50-over World Cup.

#2 Chris Gayle vs Australia

Chris Gayle’s T20 credentials are well-known, especially by the bowlers who have had the misfortune of going up against him in recent years. There are plenty of whopping sixes from the Jamaican to choose from, but this one at the Oval in the 2009 World T20 is one of the best.

With West Indies 44-0 in pursuit of Australia’s 169, Gayle decides to unleash on express paceman Brett Lee, and there is only one winner. A hoick square of the wicket went sailing over the crowd and towards the direction of Archbishop Tenison’s School, according to the trusty commentary of David Lloyd.

Gayle’s awesome innings of 88 dismantled Australia and enabled West Indies to cruise to a comfortable victory. They eventually reached the semi-finals of the competition before losing to Sri Lanka.

#3 Sachin Tendulkar vs England

There is an argument for this Sachin Tendulkar six in the 2003 World Cup to be deemed the most perfect maximum of all-time. Not because it’s Tendulkar, but due to the impeccable judgment and execution. England’s Andrew Caddick did not stand a chance.

Tendulkar pre-empted that Caddick, who was searching to mix things up, would try and bang in a shorter delivery to catch the Master Blaster out. Tendulkar, however, was wise to the ploy and rocked back, waited, and then pulled the ball exquisitely out of the ground.

India enjoyed a lot of success in the competition, progressing through the Super Sixes before seeing off Kenya in the semi-finals, to set up a date with reigning champions Australia in the final. But their bid for a first World Cup in two decades was thwarted at the last hurdle, where they were soundly beaten by 125 runs.

#4 MS Dhoni vs Australia

Mahendra Singh Dhoni might as well have patented the “Helicopter shot” as no one else has been able to play it so expertly. The wristy whip is synonymous with the Indian wicket-keeper and has proven a lucrative shot too, particularly towards the back-end of one-day innings.

James Faulkner was the victim of Dhoni’s best-ever rendition of the shot, which had enough elevation and distance to clear Bangalore’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium. In typical MSD style, he admired the blow by coolly sauntering down the pitch to chat with partner Rohit Sharma.

The day, in truth, belonged to Sharma who crunched his maiden ODI double-century at the expense of Australia in a quite extraordinary match which featured a world-record 38 sixes between the two teams. India won the contest by 57 runs.

#5 Shahid Afridi vs India

No tribute to monstrous six-hitting would be complete without a Shahid Afridi anecdote. Predicting what will happen when “Boom Boom” is at the crease is impossible but smashing a traffic light is beyond the bizarre.

Playing India in an ODI during the 1997 Friendship Cup in Canada, Pakistan’s Afridi charged down the wicket, depositing the ball over long-on and straight into a traffic light signal on the road nearby.

The match, which took place in the days when Afridi opened the innings, was won by Pakistan, who successfully chased down a target of 250 with five wickets in hand. Afridi hit a pacey 39 from 30 balls to help set up his side and give them a consolation win in their 4-1 series defeat.

#6 David Miller vs West Indies

David Miller has brought immense power to South Africa’s one-day batting, and the left-hander’s easy strength has earned him T20 contracts around the world. After watching this six against West Indies, it’s apparent why.

In a T20 match in Johannesburg in January 2015, Miller set himself for Dwayne Bravo’s delivery and launched it high and handsome in the Highveld, over a pretty big stand, and out of the Wanderers Stadium.

The match drew many parallels to the famous 438-game between Australia and South Africa in 2006 at the same ground, with South Africa posting a tumultuous 231 from their 20 overs, only for West Indies to overhaul it with four balls to spare, thanks largely to Chris Gayle’s 41-ball 90.

#7 Justin Kemp vs New Zealand

Justin Kemp seems to be one of the world’s most forgotten cricketers, but the giant South African was notorious among bowlers for having an uncompromising ability to hit the ball hard - very hard.

Take this six for example against the rapid Shane Bond. The New Zealander could only stare in disbelief boomed a six over long-on which probably landed somewhere in Port Elizabeth. It was a crucial maximum too with South Africa knocking two-thirds off of the nine required in the final over in one meaty blow. They would have no trouble wrapping up the win.

Following his international days, Kemp continued to play in the South African domestic system in a career that spanned nearly two decades. He retired from professional cricket in March 2015 at the age of 37.

#8 Ross Taylor vs Pakistan

When in form, Ross Taylor is one of the sweetest timers of the ball in world cricket. His whipped shots on the legside are particularly mesmeric, and it is a stroke which he has used to brilliant effect over the years.

Those talents were on full display with this maximum which went high and far, skipping over a grandstand and out of McLean Park. Bilawal Bhatti was the unlucky Pakistani bowler who had to suffer the wallop from Rosco.

Taylor went on to smack 102 not out as New Zealand posted 369 at McLean Park. Pakistan never established themselves with the bat either, succumbing meekly by 119 runs.

#9 Chris Gayle vs Kent

Chris Gayle makes a second appearance on the list with a six – which ended up landing in the river - while playing for English county Somerset during their domestic Twenty20 competition earlier this summer.

The self-proclaimed “World Boss” set the Taunton crowd alight with an astonishing unbeaten 151 from 62 balls against Kent, with his most impressive six sailing over the Sir Ian Botham stand, and into the River Tone. The shot made headlines worldwide after a fan jumped into the river to retrieve the ball.

However, even with Gayle’s blitzkrieg, Somerset couldn’t score the 228 runs required for victory, ultimately falling three short in an agonising loss. But for those in attendance, the result would have mattered little after what they witnessed.

#10 Albert Trott vs Australia

Albert Trott played Test cricket for Australia and England

The claims around the enormity of this six are slightly ambiguous, but it is true that former Test cricketer for Australia and England, Albert Trott, once hit a six over the Lord’s pavilion - and he is said to be the only person to have ever done so.

Trott’s mammoth maximum was smashed in a match between Australia and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in July 1899. After batting briskly for the best part of an hour, Trott clobbered seam bowler Monty Noble in a way that has not been replicated for 116 years.

While many have come close to emulating Trott, the new generation of bigger muscles and mightier haven’t done it yet. In 2010, Mongoose, who enjoyed fleeting bat-making success a few years ago, offered former England opener Marcus Trescothick a £1 million prize if he could do it.