Top 3 last-ball sixes in T20 history

It is always great fun to watch with the chasing team winning the game by hitting the last ball of the match over the fence. T20 is more than a decade old and we have seen many last-ball cliffhangers crop up every season.

Although the bowlers have had the upper hand in such situations, there have been instances where the batsmen held their nerve and came out trumps.

Let us look at the top three last-ball sixes in T20 history.:

#3 Azhar Mahmood's heroics in the Natwest T20 Blast (2015)

Former Pakistani all-rounder is a well-known figure in T20 circuit. In a career spanning more than two decades, Azhar has represented more than 10 domestic teams across the globe. Mostly known for his subtle variations with the ball, Azhar has delivered match-winning knocks with the bat as well.

This was during the 2015 season of Natwest T20 Blast, played at the Kia Oval between Gloucestershire and Surrey. Electing to bat first, Gloucestershire put on an above par score of 154/5, with valuable contributions from Hamish Marshall, Peter Handscomb, and wicket-keeper Geraint Jones. Azhar Mahmood had an ordinary outing with the ball with figures of 4-0-32-0.

Surrey's chase was lead by Jason Roy and Kumar Sangakkara. Both got out in their 30s and Surrey were in a spot of bother with 40 runs to get off the last four overs. Mahmood walked into bat with the required run-rate of 10 per over.

Nine runs were required off the last over for Surrey when 20-year-old Craig Miles was handed the ball to defend the runs. The first five balls of the over yielded just three runs, with pressure right back on the batting team, requiring 6 runs off the last ball to win the game.

A back of a length short ball from Miles and Azhar Mahmood swings his bat across his hips and connects it to absolute perfection to take the ball over the deep square leg boundary for a six. The 20-year-old bowler was on his knees and the veteran was ecstatic, so was the 20,000 crowd that turned up at the Oval.

#2 KB Arun Karthik's last ball blitz vs SA Redbacks, CLT20 (2011)

KB Arun Karthik was not a familiar face in T20 cricket until he became an overnight star for his heroics on the last-ball of the match played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and South Australia Redbacks at Chinnaswamy stadium in the Champions League T20 League.

Batting first on a belter of a pitch, Redbacks put up a mammoth total of 214/2 in their allocated 20 overs largely due to a scintillating 100 by Daniel Harris. RCB required 215 runs to qualify for the semi-finals.

RCB had the perfect start with 65 runs in the mandatory power play of 6 overs. Chris Gayle was dismissed after the first ball of the power play, and in walked Virat Kohli, who along with Tillakaratne Dilshan, stitched a partnership of 100 runs for the 2nd wicket. The stand was broken in the 15th over and the Royal Challengers still needed 50 runs off the last 5 overs with 8 wickets left.

The middle-order collapsed, thanks to an excellent piece of fast bowling by Shaun Tait, whose match figures read 4-0-32-5. Arun Karthik walked into bat with 14 runs required off the last over, which was to be bowled by Dan Christian.

The first five balls of the over were slower deliveries and produced just eight runs, including a wicket. With 6 runs to win off the last ball, Arun Karthik was on his back foot, anticipating a slower delivery. What followed was exactly the same, a slower delivery from Dan Christian which Karthik slog-swept for a six over mid-wicket. It was perhaps the most important six of his career, which helped his side to propel into the semi-finals.

Although Arun Karthik didn't make it big in his career, he would remember this six for a lifetime.

#1 Cool as ever Darren Bravo smokes it for a six effortlessly

In the second edition of the Caribbean Premier League, home team Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel clashed with Guyana Amazon Warriors at Port of Spain. Put into bat first, Guyana reached a competitive score of 179/5 with the wicket-keeper Captain Denesh Ramdin scoring 84 of 45 balls with six maximums.

The Red Steel looked all at sea when they were reduced to 13/3 in 3.4 overs. The Bravo brothers took the onus upon themselves, putting up a massive partnership of 131 runs for the fourth wicket. Dwayne Bravo was dismissed in the 17th over, with the Red Steel still requiring 36 runs off 21 deliveries.

9 runs were required off the last over and a relatively inexperienced Ronsford Beaton had the task of defending the runs. Beaton, who had match figures of 3-0-31-0, almost redeemed himself, conceding just 3 runs of the first 5 balls of the over.

With 6 runs required off the last ball and Darren Bravo on strike, the field was well spread out by the opposition captain Denesh Ramdin. What followed was something spectacular, a good length delivery outside the off-stump and Bravo smoked it over deep mid-wicket for a gigantic six.

A jubilant Darren Bravo punched the air, while the entire Red Steel team ran out to the field and pounced on Darren Bravo. The capacity crowd at Queen's Park Oval went mad and the sea of red had no end to their joy.

For his match winning 69 of 49 deliveries, Darren Bravo was awarded the Man of the Match.