5 Cricketers who didn't feature in ICC's World Cup 2011 six-hitters video

As the International Cricket Council (ICC) celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the highly-celebrated 2011 World Cup, they recently released a video of the top 10 six-hitters of the tournament through its social media handles.

The video features a range of cricketers who featured in the ICC Cricket World Cup. From legends of the past like Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag to T20 giants of today like AB De Villiers and Kieron Pollard, there were quite a few big names included.

The video also featured a surprise entry in the form of Collins Obuya, perhaps most famously remembered for his five-for which stunned Sri Lanka in the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup.

There was a storm at the 2011 Cricket World Cup and it was raining sixes ☔️#CWC11Rewind pic.twitter.com/vOfesl3kl6

— ICC (@ICC) March 1, 2021

Ross Taylor hit the most number of sixes in the 2011 World Cup, with a total of 14 maximums to his name, seven of which came against Pakistan at Pallekele. In that match, he worked his way up from a shaky start to eventually end up with a 124-ball 131. Interestingly, all his sixes came towards the end of the Kiwi innings.

He slammed his first six off Shahid Afridi in the final ball of the 45th over and then hit Shoaib Akhtar and Abdul Razzaq for three sixes apiece in 47th and 49th over respectively. This phenomenal onslaught helped New Zealand add 106 runs off the last 31 deliveries, helping them reach a total of 302 in the process.

Apart from Taylor, there were also others who entertained the crowds, and some of their entertaining sixes can be viewed through the video above. However, the video only listed the top 10 six-hitters and missed out on some of the other interesting names who didn’t make the top 10. In this article, we take a look at 5 other cricketers who lit up the 2011 World Cup with their pyrotechnics.

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5 big-hitters who did not feature in the ICC 2011 World Cup video

#1 Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan in action during the 2011 World Cup

Yusuf Pathan scored only 74 runs in the World Cup, so his inclusion in the list here might raise some consternation. But it is interesting to note that 30 off those 74 runs came off sixes. If we add 20 more runs from the fours that he scored, 50 off his 74 runs from boundaries, a whopping 67.5%. His best dig came against Ireland, a match in which he hit 30 off 24 balls, including three sixes.

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#2 Ryan Ten Doeschate

Ryan ten Doeschate made quite an impression at the 2011 World Cup

Netherlands and Essex veteran Ryan Ten Doeschate had a standout World Cup, scoring 307 runs which included tons against European rivals England and Ireland. Both these knocks helped Netherlands reach formidable totals, though they were overhauled by their respective opponents. His 119 off 110 balls against England deserves a special mention here, which featured three maximums, the only Netherlands player to hit sixes in the game. Interestingly, he returned to snare Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell with the ball to open the game up, before Bopara and Collingwood rescued England.

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#3 Kumar Sangakkara

Sangakkara seen batting against West Indies in the 2011 Cricket World-Cup Warm-up match

The Sri-Lankan All Time Great was not always known for his brute hitting, but still managed to hit five sixes in the tournament. He hit two of these maximums against New Zealand in a group game, which helped Sri Lanka to a comfortable win. One suspects he might have hit a few more but for a washed-out game against Australia (where he stood unbeaten on 73) and a Upul Tharanga- Tillakaratne Dilshan special which mauled England in the quarter-finals.

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#4 Tillakaratne Dilshan

Dilshan in the semi-final against New Zealand in the 2011 Cricket World Cup

The Lankan opener was on a hot streak throughout the World Cup and ended up becoming the highest run-scorer with 500 runs to his name at a strike rate of 90.74. Despite those big numbers, he hit only four sixes in the tournament. This is surprising given his special weapon, Dilscoop, was often employed to score boundaries from unimaginable situations. Of these four, one came against New Zealand in the semi-final, while two came against the one-sided chase against England in the quarters.

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#5 MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni helping India secure a World Cup win after 28 years

This alternate list of missing six-hitters would be incomplete without mentioning the best remembered six of the 2011 World Cup. MS Dhoni hit only three sixes in the entire tournament, but delivered the most memorable blow when he hit Nuwan Kulasekara for a six in the 49th over of the World Cup final and won the game for India.

Having promoted himself in a tricky chase, he ensured that India did not squander the platform set by Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir. Along with Gambhir, Dhoni ensured India crossed the finish line and played a major role in helping India lift the World Cup after a 28-year-long wait . Quite fittingly, Yuvraj Singh, who was India’s hero through the tournament, stood at the non-striker’s end when this feat was achieved.