Published: Oct 02, 2013, 05:45 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 25, 2014, 01:31 AM (IST)
Chris Gayle (above) hit four sixes and three fours off Prasanth Parameswaran for RCB in IPL 2011 © AFP
Alauddin Babu conceded the 39 runs in an over recently, which is a record in List A. The overall record for the most runs off one over is 77. Sarang Bhalerao revisits a few instances where more than 36 runs were scored off an over.
If one is asked about the most runs scored in an over, one would naturally discuss the instances where the batsmen smashed six off every ball. However, there have been rare instances where the batsmen have overhauled that mark and have milked more than the 36 off an over. Let us have a look at a few instances where the bowlers couldn’t plug the runs scored and the batsmen made merry:
Bert Vance, Wellington vs Canterbury, Christchurch, 1990
Figure this out:
0444664614106666600401
This is neither a long telephone number nor an encrypted code. This is an over bowled by Bert Vance in a Shell Trophy match in Christchurch between Wellington and Canterbury in the year 1990. Chasing 291 to win, Canterbury lost eight wickets and were fighting for survival rather than going for the target.
Vance started the penultimate over of the game with the score on 196 for eight. The main batsman at the crease was Lee Germon, who was batting on 75. The whole idea behind introducing Vance was to encourage Canterbury to go for the target and in the process expect them to make a mistake. But, that plan backfired miserably. Eight sixes and five fours were hit by Germon as he scored a completed a belligerent century. It was sheer carnage and that led to a lot of confusion later on.
Canterbury needed 18 off the final over. Germon got 17 off five deliveries and Roger Ford defended the final delivery. The match thus ended in a draw with the scores level.
Vance’s 77-run over is recorded by Wisden, albeit as a footnote.
James Fuller, Gloucestershire vs Sussex, Hove, 2012
Gloucestershire’s Fuller began the 18th over of the Sussex innings with a beamer to Scott Styris that went for a boundary. As per the rules six runs were conceded (since two runs are awarded for a no-ball in the competition). The second ball was a front-foot no-ball which went for four off a thick inside-edge towards fine-leg. Twelve runs came in that over and no legitimate ball was bowled yet. The free hit was a full-toss on Styris’s pads as he hit it towards square-leg for a six. The second legitimate ball was a full-toss (a misfired yorker) which was carted over long-on for a six. The short ball that followed was helped past short third-man for a boundary. The fourth ball was a dot ball which Styris missed trying to give himself room.
The fifth ball was a top-edge which went for a four behind the ’keeper. The sixth ball was a length ball which went over long-on for six.
Prasanth Parameswaran, Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Bangalore, 2011
There is nothing you can do when Chris Gayle is in the mood and Prasanth Parameswaran found it out during an Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter. The left-arm medium fast bowler bowled a length ball to Gayle which was sliced over the covers for a huge six. It rattled Parameswaran, who over-stepped, and bowled a slower ball which went for a six over point. The free-hit was a short ball which was pulled through mid-wicket for a boundary. The third ball of the over was punched through covers. The fourth ball was hit over the covers as Gayle made room to swing his arms.
The fifth ball was a murderous straight hit which went over the sight screen. Just to sum up the cliché ‘Fortune favours the brave’, Gayle’s wild slog paid off as the inside-edge went past the stumps and diving Parthiv Patel for a boundary. Thirty-seven runs came off that over.
Garry Sobers, Ravi Shastri, Yuvraj Singh and Herschelle Gibbs have all hit six sixes in an over. Sobers smashed Malcolm Nash for six sixes at Swasea in 1968 in a First-Class game. Shastri achieved the feat for Bombay against Baroda’s Tilak Raj at the Wankhede Stadium. Gibbs launched into Dan van Bunge at St. Kitt’s in the 2007 World Cup. Yuvraj carted Stuart Broad during an ICC World T20 2007 encounter at Durban.
(Sarang Bhalerao hails from a family of doctors, but did his engineering. He then dumped a career in IT with Infosys to follow his heart and passion and became a writer with CricketCountry. A voracious reader, Sarang aspires to beat Google with his knowledge of the game! You can follow him on Twitter here)
