Herschelle Gibbs became the first international player to hit six sixes in one over on March 16, 2007 during the World Cup clash between South Africa and the Netherlands in St Kitts.
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Kieron Pollard of the West Indies hit six sixes in one over bowled by Akila Dananjaya in a T20I. However, 14 years ago, on March 16, there was one individual who had achieved what Kieron Pollard did. The feat not only etched him in the history books, it actually saved a company from bankruptcy.
In that 2007 World Cup match, South Africa and Netherlands clashed at the Warner Park in St Kitts. The Proteas chose to bat. After losing AB de Villiers was dismissed for 0, Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis shared a 114-run stand. However, when Gibbs came on, there was absolute carnage. In the 30th over, the destruction reached its peak and legspinner Daan van Bunge faced the brunt.
The first ball bowled by van Bunge was hammered out of the ground by Gibbs over long on. The second and third ball was smashed over long off. The fourth ball was a full toss which was blasted over deep midwicket. The fifth ball was shot and Gibbs swatted the pull shot to long on. In the sixth ball, history was created as Gibbs launched a full ball over deep midwicket for the sixth six.
Gibbs had created history as he became the first player in international cricket to hit six sixes in one over. Previously, Sir Gary Sobers and Ravi Shastri had hit six sixes in one over but they had come in a First-Class match. Sobers smashed six sixes off Malcolm Nash while Shastri, the current coach of the Indian cricket team, achieved the feat against Tilak Raj. Gibbs finished on 72 off 40 balls while Kallis hit a century. South Africa ended on 353/3 and the Netherlands ended up on 132/9.
Incidentally, the score of 132/9 would have been a match-winning score for the Netherlands according to the Duckworth Lewis method. The twist? The score of 132/9 needed to be achieved in just one ball!
Following the exploits of Gibbs Yuvraj Singh smashed six sixes in one over bowled by Stuart Broad during the 2007 ICC World T20 encounter in Durban. In that match, Yuvraj hit the fastest fifty in T20I history off just 12 balls.
Gibbs’ feat actually turned the fortunes of one company, who were on the verge of bankruptcy. Before Gibbs’ knock, whiskey maker Johnny Walker was about to file for bankruptcy when they saw Gibbs’ achievement. In a press release, they said, “Johnny Walker is absolutely delighted by the inspirational and pioneering feat that was today realised by Herschelle Gibbs. In view of his accomplishments, we are thrilled with donating USD one million to Habitat for Humanity in our efforts to enrich the Caribbean community.”
