Yuvraj Singh reacts to Kieron Pollard hitting six sixes in an over
Yuvraj Singh has hailed Kieron Pollard for hitting six sixes in an over in the first T20I against Sri Lanka. The West Indies captain achieved the rare feat off Akila Dananjaya's bowling at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.
Yuvraj was the first batsman to hit six sixes in an over in international cricket. He managed it against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup. Herschelle Gibbs became the second cricketer to reach the milestone, with the former South African batsman making history against the Netherlands in the 2007 ODI World Cup.
Taking to Twitter, Yuvraj wrote:
“Welcome to the club @KieronPollard55 #sixsixes you beauty !!!”
Yuvraj’s post included six stars to represent the six sixes hit by Kieron Pollard.
The West Indies captain’s effort was extra special as it came after Sri Lankan spinner Dananjaya had taken a hat-trick, dismissing Evin Lewis (28), Chris Gayle (0) and Nicholas Pooran (0) in the fourth over.
However, in the sixth over, Kieron Pollard turned Dananjaya’s dream into a nightmare. While the first ball was whacked over long-on, the second was smashed right over the bowler's head.
The third delivery was wide outside the off stump as Kieron Pollard got underneath it and slammed it over long-off. The fourth was a googly, but the Windies skipper picked up the variation and hit it over the deep midwicket fielder.
Kieron Pollard dispatched the fifth ball over long-on and joined Yuvraj and Gibbs on the illustrious list by swatting the last delivery over midwicket.
The West Indies captain was eventually dismissed for 38 off 11 balls by Wanindu Hasaranga. The Windies, however, eased to a four-wicket win.
Cricketing fraternity reacts to Kieron Pollard’s rare feat
Wishes poured in for Kieron Pollard on social media following his fantastic achievement. The 33-year-old's IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians, congratulated the hard-hitting batsman by tweeting:
“6OAT.He came. He saw. He smashed!”
Kieron Pollard’s MI teammate Krunal Pandya wrote that he always felt the batsman had it in him to smash six sixes in an over. He tweeted:
Harbhajan Singh, Kieron Pollard's former MI teammate, described the West Indies skipper as a champion and a T20 legend.
Herschelle Gibbs, one of three players to hit six sixes in an over in international cricket, pointed out that March is a popular month to achieve the feat.
The former right-handed batsman also hit six sixes in an over during a 2007 ODI World Cup match between South Africa and the Netherlands.