Second ball that Yuvraj Singh despatched over the boundary.Credit score:ICC / YouTube
“There was all the time a heated argument between me and Flintoff on the sector since you are representing your nation and making an attempt to beat one another, that’s the nature of the sport,” Yuvraj stated. on tenth anniversary Of his feat. “He bowled two good deliveries and I used to be in a position to hit him to the boundary.
“He clearly did not prefer it and stated one thing to me and I retaliated. It clearly took a toll on me and after I got here again to the crease I used to be like ‘I need to hit each ball off the bottom’.
Previous Achiever – Sir Garfield Sobers for Nottinghamshire towards Malcolm Nash of Glamorgan at Swansea in 1968Ravi Shastri dominated Tilak Raj of Baroda for Mumbai on the Wankhede in 1985 and Herschelle Gibbs of South Africa defeated Dutchman Dan van Bange at St Kitts earlier in 2007 – It was all performed towards spin. However it was not that the quick bowlers understood Twenty20.
Operating into Yuvraj was a 19-year-old Stuart Broad, who was promising however wouldn’t make the performer of 566 Take a look at wickets. Other than his callous age, Broad and the opposite quick bowlers lacked the technique of protection that had change into normal in Twenty20, making an attempt to bowl solely yorkers as an alternative. There was devastation.
Third shot goes to lengthy off.Credit score:ICC / YouTube
Six balls within the 126-130 km/h vary flew off Yuvraj’s bat to Shastri’s rising enthusiasm in commentary. 5 yorkers or “slot balls” are missed from the highest of the wicket, the second a large full toss from across the wicket. Nobody observed any change in tempo, bouncers or any main adjustments.
“I used to be 19, perhaps a bit naive, a bit missing in talent on the time of dying, and Yuvi hit the ball superbly,” Broad stated. in 2019, “There was nonetheless an concept that you can attempt to bowl six yorkers or six sluggish deliveries and the batsmen would not choose up on what you have been doing.
“It was an distinctive talent from Yuvi, not one thing I remorse or look again on with large negativity, as a result of that is actually what made me the bowler I’m right this moment.”
It was the fourth – scored from a full toss.Credit score:ICC / YouTube
Other than Broad’s lack of awareness to cease the run of sixes, Yuvraj’s mindset was so clear and targeted that he did not initially notice that he had hit six consecutive sixes.
That type of disaffected pondering, which was typical within the early days of the format, when gamers didn’t think about their careers to be depending on its outcomes, is now a state that’s sought extra intentionally when a lot is at stake.
Yuvraj recalled, “I did not actually really feel like I might hit six sixes, as a result of it was a lot aggression.” “I noticed Dimitri Mascarenhas at midwicket, I gave him a giant smile, remembering that he will need to have hit me for 5 sixes in at some point recreation. It was very satisfying.”
After: Stuart Broad might solely nod his head after being belted for six sixes.Credit score:Getty Pictures
Within the span of these six balls, some issues irrevocably got here true. A participant not must be outlined purely by his document in Take a look at matches or 50-over World Cups. And, as stated by Tim Wigmore and Freddie Wilde Cricket 2.0The outdated steadiness between bat and ball additionally flipped.
“In Take a look at cricket, bowlers have been accused of attacking to take wickets – whereas batsmen historically targeted on defence,” he wrote. “The construction of T20 cricket reversed this relationship – out of the blue the batsmen took offense as a result of they wished to attain as many runs as attainable and there have been defensive bowlers to stop the bowlers from doing so.”
The fifth ball went excessive and lengthy.Credit score:ICC / YouTube
As if to underscore the purpose, two extra gamers have made strikes in Twenty20 matches, albeit towards two extra unlucky spin bowlers. Worcestershire’s Ross Whiteley overtakes Yorkshire’s Kyle Carver six out of six (besides broad) in 2017, and West Indies captain Kieron Pollard lowered Akila Dhananjaya’s earlier hat-trick for Sri Lanka. by doing the identical Final yr.
Yuvraj would assault once more within the 2007 semi-final towards Australia at Kingsmead, then the undisputed domination of the world, scoring 70 off 30 balls to defend India on mixture. He was to satisfy Pakistan within the finale.
On repeat: Umpire Simon Taufel hits a six throughout Yuvraj Singh’s assault.Credit score:Getty Pictures
When Mike Hussey suffered a hamstring damage, the Aussies have been prepared for a profitable chase. As one squad member recalled: “India did not deal with Twenty20 cricket with a lot respect in these days, they have been sending younger sides and resting their extra skilled gamers. That is why world cricket modified as a result of Huss blew himself away!”
Earlier than the decider in Johannesburg, Yuvraj was approached by Broad’s father, Chris, the match referee, with the unusual phrases, “Thanks for nearly ending my son’s profession.” At Chris Broad’s request, Yuvraj signed his match shirt for Stuart and wrote, “I understand how it feels, as a result of I am hit for 5”.
An exciting subsequent victory, when Misbah-ul-Haq handed Joginder Sharma to Sreesanth at quick nice leg, was primarily based on an incident that had lengthy captured India’s public creativeness.
The sixth shot added to the ache in Stuart Broad’s coronary heart.Credit score:ICC / YouTube
It’s true that the Indian Premier League, quickly to show the economics and calendar of world cricket, had begun early within the match, earlier than Yuvraj’s sixes rained down on Durban, or Dhoni lifted the trophy on the Wanderers. .
However the momentum that these three occasions collectively created helped create a wave that cricket continues to be driving for good and unhealthy.
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