Gary Sobers hits six sixes in an over

It is quite ironic that Sir Garfield Sobers, who believed that hitting sixes is “... wasn't really good cricket” and “... it's not the kind of cricket you want to teach youngsters,” was the first player who hit six sixes in an over albeit in first-class cricket.

Captaining Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan on August 31, 1968, the English county season was at its fag end with Sobers’ side sitting fifth on the table with a game in hand. Openers Brian Bolus and Bob White had forged a 126-run stand to give the side a good start followed by Graham Frost’s 50, which required the middle order to end with a bang.

For Glamorgan, Malcolm Nash looked to hit the right areas with the ball as he dismissed Blous, Frost Michael Smedley and wicket-keeper Deryck Murray to keep the match competitive for his side. Nottingham were 308/5 when captain Sobers came to bat.

A medium pacer by nature, the 23-year-old Nash was asked to bowl spin for this particular match by his captain Tony Lewis in order to check runs, and the move was fine until then. Given his age and experience, Nash had done an impressive job of taking four scalps and keeping the opposition under control until Sobers went out of control.

"I wasn't bothered if I was out or not, all I was interested in was quick runs and a declaration,” Sobers had later revealed his intention. Unfortunately, Nash might not have been able to read this intent then and attempted to get Sobers out instead of attempting dot balls.

The score was 358/5, with Sobers unbeaten at 40 when Nash was handed the ball. “Garry was on about 40 not out. I had got his wicket a couple of times before, and as they were now seeking quick runs before a declaration, I thought I could do so again,” Nash had later given context. 

Sobers eyed a short boundary on the leg side and wanted to target that area. Nash’s first ball was left-arm spin around the wicket and Sobers hammered it over long-on for a big six. 

“... I also thought the best way to bowl and get him out was to keep pitching it up and let him have a go at it and hope that he whacks it up in the air,” Nash had said, “And that’s exactly what he did, except he didn’t whack it too short!” 

The second ball was a bit shorter but again within Sobers’ arc as he used all his power to put it over deep square-leg fence. The third ball was a classic six straight down the ground as Sobers were playing everything on his backfoot, using immense power and a high backlift.

“I always had a big backlift. It came from learning to play with a tennis ball and having to hit it as hard as you could or it wouldn’t go anywhere. That day I thought, if I mishit it’s going to be very high and the fielder might get tired waiting to catch it!” Sobers had explained.

But, Fortune sides with him who dares and Sobers surely did dare! The fielders who were closer to the pitch were gradually moving to the boundaries as Sobers sent the fourth ball over square-leg for another six. But, Nash believed Sobers would make one mistake and that happened on the fifth ball.

“I gave the fifth one a little bit more air. He got underneath it a bit more. Roger Davis was at long-off on the line, just in front of us here. He got his hands ready and took the catch but then he overbalanced and sat down on the line,” reminisced Nash.

It was absolute pandemonium. Some shouted “six” while some claimed “out”. The umpires got into consultation as Sobers started walking back to the pavilion. “.. and the crowd were all Glamorgan fans, of course, but a lot of them said ‘you’re not out, go back’, Sobers remembered as the umpire gave it a six.

According to Sobers, it wasn’t until the last ball that he had thought of creating the record of six sixes in an over. Nash had a similar thought as he didn’t want an unwanted record to his name. So, he decided to bowl fast with the same short run-up from around the wicket.

“Something I’d never done before. And it was the worst ball of the day, never mind the over. And that disappeared over midwicket onto the road between those two buildings,” Nash had later lamented.

As if Nash wouldn’t have made headlines already, Sobers’ last hit went out of the ground to the bus stop where a young boy would pick it up and take it home, thus eventually making it a national news. Some say he returned it next day, whole others state he returned it to Sobers a few years later. 

Either way, getting a new ball was taking time and Sobers, now unbeaten at 76, decided to declare his innings. The Notts would win the match by 166 runs.

Interestingly, both Nash and Sobers weren’t really happy with the record as they thought it eclipsed everything else they did during their year. While Nash has over 900 first-class wickets, Sobers had over 8000 runs and 235 wickets in Test cricket.

“It makes me feel that that's the only thing I've done in the history of cricket. It wasn't really good cricket, six sixes are not good cricket ... it's not the kind of cricket you want to teach youngsters,” Sobers had later said.

However, those 10 minutes of mayhem that the crowd at Leeds witnessed was forever etched in their memory.