Cricket is enriched when batsmen hit sixes galore and monster hits out of the stadium thrill the fans completely.
Follow Us
In cricket, when a batsman hits a six, the crowd are thrilled to bits. A six not only boosts the team morale, it puts the pressure on the opposition. A six that clears the rope releases all the pressure on the batsmen put by the opposition. However, when a six clears the stadium, social media and fans go ballistic with happiness. A six out of the ground by the batsmen makes him a special breed of power-hitter. The game has seen some gigantic sixes. In the past, it was hard to measure the distance. In the modern era, sixes can be tracked and the distance can be measured.
If one has to talk about the biggest six in cricket, then one cannot look beyond Shahid Afridi. In one instance, during an ODI in 2007 against South Africa in Johannesburg, Afridi hit a monster 158-meter six. It not only went out of the Wanderers stadium but it went into the adjoining Golf course. The 158-meter six was a technical glitch, but the hit was simply enormous.
Justin Kemp’s hit of Shane Bond in 2005 between South Africa and New Zealand in Port Elizabeth is huge. Unfortunately, there were no measurements of the six. But having gone out of the St George’s Park stadium, it had to be in excess of 120 meters.
However, Brett Lee hit a 143-meter six off Darren Powell in the Brisbane Test in 2005. Such was the enormity of the hit that it cleared the Gabba roof and went into the practice pitch nets. The distance is the longest.
The WACA ground in Perth has seen some massive sixes. Chris Gayle hit a monster 106-meter six during his century against Australia in 2009. Mark Waugh also hit a big six in a Test against New Zealand in 1997. Afridi also hit a 100-plus meter six during an ODI against Australia in 2004/05.
But, when it comes to clearing stadiums, no one does it better than Yuvraj Singh. In the 2007 World T20, Yuvraj Singh cleared the boundary with ease. However, in the semi-final against Australia, he raised his batting to a different level. Previously, Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq held the record for a 111-meter monster six against Australia in Johannesburg. Now, Yuvraj demolished that when he flicked Brett Lee over long leg for a 119-meter six in Durban.
MS Dhoni’s two sixes in IPL 2010 against Kings XI Punjab in Dharamshala measured over 100 meters. Corey Anderson hit a 122-meter six during the 2014 ODI between New Zealand and India in Napier. Pakistan’s Ijaz Ahmed of Pakistan hit a 115-meter six during the Mohali ODI against India in 1999.
In the IPL and Big Bash League (BBL), there have been several hits that have cleared the stadium. Dan Christian of the Hobart Hurricanes hit a 117-meter six against the Brisbane Heat in Gabba off Luke Feldman. However, at the same venue, Chris Lynn hit a 121-meter six off Shaun Tait. But, Gayle has cleared the stadium multiple times during both the Big Bash League and IPL. James Faulkner smashed two sixes which were close to 110 meters vs England in Brisbane 2014.
Apart from Gayle in the IPL, Albie Morkel once hit Shane Warne for three sixes in one over. One of the sixes went into the roof of the Chepauk stadium. The hit was 119 meters. Rohit Sharma, AB de Villiers, Ross Taylor, Robin Uthappa and Adam Gilchrist have hit sixes from 115 to 122 meters. Morkel holds the record for a 125-meter six and that was against Pragyan Ojha of Deccan Chargers in 2008
However, the biggest six that has been hit was by England’s Albert Trott against Australia. In the 1899 Test, Trott cleared the Lord’s Pavilion. He is the only batsman to have ever achieved the feat. If it was measured, the six would have been 140 meters. On that day, with the size of the bat, that would have been a monumental achievement.
