World Cup 2019: 3 bowlers who did not get hit for a six

The recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup saw many great performances, both with the bat and ball. Numerous old records were shattered and many new ones were created.

Amongst all mind-boggling stats, one of the most surprising is that three cricketers who bowled over 20 overs did not concede a single six in the tournament. In the modern-day game where 300s are not a safe score anymore, not conceding a six is indeed a very special achievement.

Five bowlers did not concede a single six in the tournament, and 3 of them bowled over 20 overs. Chris Gayle and Kane Williamson complete the list, with each having bowled 15 overs. Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah and his Pakistani counterpart Mohammad Amir have conceded just a single six.

#3 Dwaine Pretorius (South Africa)

Dwaine Pretorius

South African medium-pacer Dwaine Pretorius was used sparingly by his skipper Faf du Plessis. But in the three matches he got a chance to have a go at the batters, he proved why not selecting him was a mistake. The 29-year-old picked up five wickets in the tournament.

He was also very economical, conceding just around fours runs per over. His brilliant spell of 3/25 against Sri Lanka helped South Africa restore some of their lost pride. Pretorius bowled 23 overs in the World Cup and conceded 94 runs. But none of those 94 runs included a six. Moreover, he was also the most economical South African bowler, ahead of the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir. Amongst those who bowled at least 20 overs, Pretorius was the third most economical bowler, behind Kemar Roach and Ravindra Jadeja. The South African team is expected to go through a lot of changes, but Pretorius should have his position sealed and secured.

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#2 Hamid Hassan (Afghanistan)

Hamid Hassan

Afghanistan had a very tough time in England, losing 8 out of their 9 games. One of the major reasons behind their poor show was the no-show of the bowlers. The renowned superstar Rashid Khan failed to weave his magic in the biggest stage of cricket. But Afghanistan found themselves a very reliable customer in Hamid Hassan.

The man from Nengrakar took just 1 wicket in 5 games, but he was very economical for his team. He leaked under 5 runs per over, while Khan’s economy rate went up to an uncharacteristic 6. Hassan bowled 26 overs in the competition and conceded only 122 runs. He did not concede a single six in the tournament. He has also bowled 3 maiden overs, the most by any Afghan bowler in this edition’s World Cup.

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#1 Ben Stokes (England)

Ben Stokes

What change of fortunes has it been for Ben Stokes. Just three years ago, with England involved in a World Cup final at Kolkata, Stokes was hit for four consecutive sixes by Carlos Brathwaite trying to defend 19 runs in the last over. Since then, Stokes has come a long way and has now become the only bowler in this World Cup who bowled more than 30 overs without conceding a six.

While every top-notch pacer was hit for a maximum at least once, Stokes always managed to outsmart the batsman. He bowled a total of 50.5 overs without being hit for a six. He conceded just 246 runs in those overs, maintaining an excellent economy rate of under 5 runs per over. He was England’s second-most economical bowler. His best performance with the ball came against Bangladesh, where he picked up 3 crucial wickets, including that of centurion Shakib Al Hasan, and conceded under 4 runs per over.

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