ICC World Cup 2019: 3 Players who have the ability to hit six sixes in an over during the tournament

On March 16, 2007, Herschelle Gibbs became the first and only player to smash six sixes in an over in the ODI format. He achieved the feat in a World Cup game which makes it even more noteworthy. In a group match against the Netherlands, Gibbs hammered the Dutch spinner Daan van Bungee for six consecutive maximums in an over.

The 12th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup is set to begin on 30th May. But Herschelle Gibbs’ heroic accomplishment is yet to be equalled since last 12 years. A typical English summer, flat and hard pitches, small boundaries, big bats; it seems plausible for a hard-hitting batsman to emulate what Gibbs did in 2007.

Having said that, with top 10 teams in the world competing for the glory, there will hardly be a dull moment during the World Cup. The bowlers are unlikely to give such leeway to the batsmen. The battle between the bat and ball will be a treat to watch during this period.

Here we look at three players who come closest to match Gibbs’ effort:

3. Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya may have born in Baroda but his on-field deportment resembles that of his friends in the Caribbean; the attitude, the swagger, the hard-hitting proficiencies, not sure about his dancing skills though. He is the answer to India’s dearth of seam bowling all-rounders. Going into the World cup Hardik is an imperative part for the balance of the team.

Hardik Pandya and a hat-trick of sixes is a no secret love affair. He has already done it five times in his international career, all against spinners. The audacity of attacking the bowlers in any situation has been his selling point. He doesn’t play the ramp shot or the reverse sweep or even barely jumps on the bowler, but the sheer self-confidence in addition to his straight hitting ability makes him the finisher he is today.

For someone who can hit a ball over covers and fetch the same ball to deposit over mid-wicket, don’t be surprised if he hits six sixes to a spinner in the upcoming World Cup.

2. David Miller

“If it’s in the arc, it’s out of the park.” David Miller exulted after his 38-ball century against RCB in IPL 2013. From his debut ODI in 2010, Miller had been South Africa’s voted finisher. Standing 6 feet 3 inches tall, Miller is a brawny man known for his swashbuckling capabilities with a bat in hand.

The left-handed 29-year-old already holds the record of joint fastest century in T20 Internationals. With the departure of AB de Villiers, Miller’s sinewy shoulders will have an added responsibility to finish the innings. If South Africa are able to break their world cup semi-final hoodoo, Miller will be seen whacking several sixes out of the park! And living up to the moniker ‘Killer Miller’ which he earned from his IPL heroics.

Moreover, if he gets set in the middle, the bowlers will have hard times bowling at him and the way Miller batted recently in Pakistan T20I series, he seems to have found his groove at the right time.

1. Jos Buttler

While players like Pandya, Jimmy Neesham, Thisara Perera are acquiring the art of closing games, a guy from Somerset has been designated as the best finisher in the world. Joseph Charles Buttler has become England’s limited-overs superstar.

With an average of 54 and strike rate of over 150, he single-handedly took Rajasthan Royals in the playoffs of IPL last year. Although he is an opener in T20s, Jos Buttler’s prowess in ODI as a finisher is not obscure. He is the demolisher of a cricket ball, which is almost inconceivable for someone with a nice and humble character. Buttler’s antics are largely a product from Trevor Bayliss’ scheme of ‘See ball, hit the ball’ since their appalling exit in World Cup 2015.

He is capable of hammering spinners and pacers with equal ease. With the vigour and vitality he bats with, aided by shorter boundaries, in all likelihood it is possible for Jos Buttler to repeat the act of Herschelle Gibbs during the World Cup at home later this year.

~Written by Jatin Khandelwal