Six players who have hit 6 sixes in an over 

It’s a dream for every batsman to clear the boundary on a regular basis. Not all batsmen are gifted enough to hit sixes at will though. However, with the modern game favouring the batsmen with shorter boundaries and thicker bats, along with the growing popularity of T20s - more batsmen are equipped to smash for fours and sixes.

There are an elite group of cricketers who have defied logic and have managed to do the unthinkable. To hit two or three consecutive sixes against any bowler is a hard thing to achieve. But there are some players, who, through their stellar hitting skills, have managed to hit six sixes in an over.

With Hazratullah Zazai getting into the record books by smashing Abdullah Mazari, a left-arm orthodox spinner, for 37 runs in an over in the Afghanistan Premier League (APL), we take a look at 6 players who have hit 6 sixes in an over.

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#1 Hazratullah Zazai- Kabul Zwanan, 2018

Hazratullah Zazai continued his good run of form in the Afghanistan Premier League 2018 by smacking six sixes in an over for Kabul Zwanan against Balkh Legends during the 14th game of the tournament on Sunday.

Bowling just the fourth over of the game, with the side defending a mammoth total of 244, Abdullah Mazari, a left-arm spinner, making his first appearance in the tournament would have hoped for a steady start but the debutant got the shock of his life.

Hazratullah Zazai, the 20-year-old, took him apart hitting him for six sixes, taking 37 runs from the first over which included a wide. Zazai brought up his fifty in just 12 balls, the joint-fastest in the history of T20 cricket.

He was eventually dismissed for a 17-ball 62. Zazai has been in fine form having already scored a ton earlier against Nangarhar Leopards in the tournament. With this outstanding achievement, Hazratullah Zazai joins an elite list of cricketers who have managed to hit 6 sixes in an over.

This is surely going to elevate and propel his career growth. An IPL call-up looks certainly on the cards after his blistering display of batting which got him into the record books.

#2 Sir Garfield Sobers – Nottinghamshire, 1968

One of the best all-rounders to have graced this wonderful game of cricket, Sir Garfield Sobers, made a historic achievement on August 31, 1968. Once described as a 'five in one cricketer' by the great man Sir Donald Bradman, Sobers became the first cricketer to smash 6 sixes in a single over in first class cricket.

He managed this unbelievable achievement against Malcolm Nash of Glamorgan while playing for Nottinghamshire as captain. The over consisted of five clean hits for six and one six where the ball landed in the hands of Roger Davis but was unfortunately carried over the boundary rope. Before this feat, Ted Alleston held the record of scoring most runs in an over, which was 34 runs.

Sir Gary Sobers, a trendsetter in his playing days created a trend which has carried forward by a select few cricketers in the years to come.

#3 Ravi Shastri – Bombay, 1985

Ravi Shastri

Sir Gary Sobers achieved something which not many felt could be replicated. The magnitude of his record-breaking performance against Glamorgan was such. But he found someone who could join him in this elite club in the year 1984.

It took 16 years for someone to match Sir Gary’s achievement and it was Indian batsman Ravi Shastri, who, in the year 1984, scored six sixes in an over against left-arm spinner Tilak Raj in a Ranji Trophy Match between Bombay and Baroda. He also went on to score the fastest ever double century in first-class cricket history in the same match.

With that, Ravi Shastri, the current head coach of the Indian cricket team, became only the second batsman in the history of cricket to belt six sixes in an over. Ravi Shastri known for his aggressive batting and more than handy left arm off-spinners entered the record books with this ferocious display of batsmanship against Baroda.

#4 Herschelle Gibbs – South Africa, 2007

Herschelle Gibbs

South African opening batsman Herschelle Gibbs was the first batsman to hit six sixes in an over in a One-Day International (ODI) match. His feat came in the 2007 World Cup at St. Kitts, Basseterre, as he bludgeoned Daan van Bunge of Netherlands all around the park for six sixes in one over.

Herschelle Gibbs became the first ever batsmen to achieve this feat in international cricket (the other two players - Sir Gary Sobers and Ravi Shastri did so in domestic matches). Herschelle Gibbs still holds the record for being the only player to score 6 sixers in an over in a World Cup match.

Bludgeoning attacks is something Herschelle Gibbs was used to when he was at the peak of his prowess for the Proteas. His magnificent 175 in the historic chase of 438 runs against Australia at Johannesburg would rank among the best knocks played in the history of ODI cricket.

The closest somebody came to replicating this humongous achievement of Herschelle Gibbs would be the next entrant in this elite list - Yuvraj Singh.

#5 Yuvraj Singh – India, 2007

Yuvraj Singh

The talisman Yuvraj Singh is known to be one of the most flamboyant cricketers in the modern era. Yuvraj Singh or ‘Yuvi’ as he is fondly called, went all guns blazing when he sent Stuart Broad for six ruthless maximums in an over during the World T20 in 2007 against England.

A somewhat ugly spat with Andrew Flintoff in that very game spurred Yuvi on as he dispatched the England fast bowler to almost all corners of the park.

Yuvraj Singh enthralled and amazed cricketing fans worldwide with his six sixes in an over as he became the second batsman in international cricket and the fourth overall to reach this feat. India went on to win the World T20 that year thanks to some other similarly brilliant knocks by Yuvi.

It is fair to say that two knocks defined how popular the T20 format is across the globe nowadays. The first was Yuvraj Singh’s marvelous effort against England at Durban and the other will be Brendan Mccllum’s assault of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the first-ever match in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

#6 Alex Hales – Nottinghamshire, 2015

Alex Hales

Alex Hales, while playing for Nottinghamshire in the Natwest T20 Blast against Warwickshire last week, gave a gentle reminder to the England selectors of his ability as he smashed six consecutive sixes to help his side to victory.

Off the 4th ball of the 11th over from Boyd Rankin, Hales hit a gigantic six and replicated it on the last two balls as well. He got the strike on the 2nd ball of the next over and hit 3 more sixes off consecutive deliveries to complete his unique feat of six consecutive sixes but in two different overs.

Alex Hales has emerged as one of England's go-to-men in the limited overs formats of the game. He combines brilliantly with Jason Roy to get the side off to a fast and aggressive start more often than not.