On the last day of August 1968, the great Sir Garfield Sobers became the first cricketer in history to strike six consecutive sixes in a single over, a feat so audacious it would take 17 years before anyone repeated it.
The achievement has since been immortalised most famously by Yuvraj Singh, who, fuelled by a fiery verbal exchange with Andrew Flintoff, demolished Stuart Broad for six successive sixes during the 2007 ICC World T20 in Durban, an innings that became the stuff of legend.
In more recent years, the club has grown rapidly: Kieron Pollard and Thisara Perera both accomplished the feat within weeks of each other in March 2021, proving that power hitting in the modern game continues to push boundaries. Hitting six sixes in an over remains one of cricket’s most electrifying moments, six balls, six swings, and pure, unadulterated carnage.
Let’s take a look at each occurrence in detail.
The Complete List Six Sixes In An Over
| Player | vs Bowler | Team | Series / Competition | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sir Garfield Sobers | Malcolm Nash | Nottinghamshire | County Championship vs Glamorgan | 1968 |
| Ravi Shastri | Tilak Raj | Bombay | Ranji Trophy vs Baroda | 1985 |
| Herschelle Gibbs | Daan van Bunge | South Africa | ICC Cricket World Cup vs Netherlands | 2007 |
| Yuvraj Singh | Stuart Broad | India | ICC World T20 vs England | 2007 |
| Ross Whiteley | Karl Carver | Worcestershire Rapids | T20 Blast vs Yorkshire Vikings | 2017 |
| Hazratullah Zazai | Abdullah Mazari | Kabul Zwanan | Afghanistan Premier League | 2018 |
| Leo Carter | Anton Devcich | Canterbury Kings | Super Smash vs Northern Knights | 2020 |
| Kieron Pollard | Akila Dananjaya | West Indies | T20I Series vs Sri Lanka | 2021 |
| Thisara Perera | — | Army Sports CC | List A vs Bloomfield C&AC | 2021 |
1. Sir Garfield Sobers
Nottinghamshire vs Glamorgan · County Championship · 31 August 1968
The legendary West Indian all-rounder wrote himself into cricketing folklore when he became the first man ever to hit six sixes in an over.
Playing as captain for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan, Sobers targeted left-arm seamer Malcolm Nash and unleashed five clean strikes into the stands.
The sixth delivery was caught by Roger Davis on the boundary, but his momentum carried him over the rope, and six it was. The over yielded 36 runs, and Nash’s name was forever tied to an achievement that stood alone for 17 years.
2. Ravi Shastri
Bombay vs Baroda · Ranji Trophy · 19 January 1985
Known far more for defensive grit than explosive batting, Shastri stunned everyone when he became just the second cricketer to clear the boundary six times in a single over.
Playing for Bombay against Baroda in a Ranji Trophy encounter, he targeted left-arm spinner Tilak Raj and battered every delivery for maximum.
The 36-run over helped propel his innings, and Shastri’s connection with this rare feat would continue. 22 years later, he was behind the microphone calling Yuvraj Singh’s iconic six-six assault in Durban.
3. Herschelle Gibbs
South Africa vs Netherlands · ICC Cricket World Cup · 2007
The explosive South African opener became the first player to achieve the feat in international cricket during the 2007 World Cup against the Netherlands.
Dutch spinner Daan van Bunge was the unfortunate victim as Gibbs dispatched each delivery with breathtaking timing, hitting them flat and high over the boundary.
It remains the only instance of six sixes in a single over in a 50-over World Cup match, a fitting entry in the highlight reel of one of South Africa’s most thrilling stroke-makers of his generation.
4. Yuvraj Singh
India vs England · ICC World T20, Kingsmead, Durban · 2007
Perhaps the most iconic instance of them all. A heated exchange with Andrew Flintoff at the end of the previous over lit a fire under Yuvraj, and young Stuart Broad paid the price.
The first ball sailed over cow corner; the second, measured at 111 yards, vanished over backward square leg; the third and fourth rocketed over the off side; the fifth flew over midwicket; and the sixth landed deep in the long-on stands.
His 36 off the over stood as the T20I record until 2024, and the moment remains etched in cricket’s collective memory.
5. Ross Whiteley
Worcestershire Rapids vs Yorkshire Vikings · T20 Blast, Headingley · July 2017
In a pulsating T20 Blast clash at Headingley, Worcestershire’s Whiteley launched Yorkshire spinner Karl Carver for six consecutive maximums to enter the exclusive club.
Agonisingly, however, his heroics were not enough; David Willey blazed a match-winning 118 off just 55 balls to steal victory for the Vikings. It was Willey who eventually dismissed Whiteley, capping one of the most extraordinary contests in domestic T20 history where individual brilliance alone could not secure the win.
6. Hazratullah Zazai
Kabul Zwanan · Afghanistan Premier League (T20) · 2018
From the less-heralded cricketing arena of the Afghanistan Premier League, Zazai bludgeoned his way into the record books. Playing for Kabul Zwanan, he targeted the hapless Abdullah Mazari and unleashed a barrage of sixes so ferocious that several strikes nearly cleared the stadium entirely.
It was a display of raw, brutal power from the Afghan opener, proving that this feat knows no boundaries of geography, only talent, timing, and the audacity to swing for the fences six times running.
7. Leo Carter
Canterbury Kings vs Northern Knights · Super Smash (T20) · January 2020
New Zealand’s Super Smash competition produced its own six-six hero when Canterbury Kings’ Leo Carter hammered six consecutive sixes during a stunning innings of 70 not out from just 29 balls. Carter’s explosive hitting inspired Canterbury to a comfortable seven-wicket victory with seven balls to spare against the Northern Knights.
The left-hander’s entry into this elite club came in a domestic tournament, but the quality of his striking was undeniably world-class and firmly placed his name alongside the greats of the game.
8. Kieron Pollard
West Indies vs Sri Lanka · T20I Series · March 2021
The towering West Indian became just the third player, after Gibbs and Yuvraj, to achieve the feat in international cricket. What made Pollard’s assault even more remarkable was the context:
Sri Lankan spinner Akila Dananjaya had taken a hat-trick in his previous over, seemingly seizing momentum for the visitors. Pollard responded in the most emphatic fashion possible, dispatching six consecutive deliveries from Dananjaya over the boundary to turn the match on its head in the most dramatic way imaginable.
9. Thisara Perera
Army Sports CC vs Bloomfield C&AC · List A · March 2021
Like waiting for a bus, two came at once. Just weeks after Pollard’s international heroics, fellow all-rounder Thisara Perera replicated the feat in a domestic List A fixture in Sri Lanka, playing for Army Sports CC against Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club.
Perera’s six sixes propelled him to 52 off just 13 balls, the second-fastest half-century in List A cricket history. He also became the first Sri Lankan to hit six sixes in an over in any form of professional cricket, adding a national landmark to his remarkable career.
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Conclusion: Sir Garfield Is The First Player To Hit Six Sixes In An Over
Sir Garfield Sobers etched his name in cricketing immortality in 1968 as the first player to hit six sixes in an over, a feat so extraordinary it remained unrepeated for 17 years. What began as a solitary achievement has evolved into one of cricket’s most spectacular displays of power and audacity.
From Yuvraj Singh’s iconic assault on Stuart Broad to Kieron Pollard’s match-turning heroics, each instance carries its own drama and context. Yet, across all formats and eras, hitting six consecutive sixes remains cricket’s ultimate expression of dominance, a moment where bat conquers ball in the most emphatic fashion possible.
