Jaskaran Malhotra becomes the ninth man to hit six sixes in an over

Jaskaran Malhotra is not a name synonymous with even the most ardent cricket fan but his exploits for the United States recently will etch his name into the record books. Not only did he whack a staggering 173 not out from 124 balls in his side’s 134-run triumph in the one-day international with the wicketkeeper batsman able to thump 16 sixes during his time at the crease. That total fell one short of matching the world record set by Eoin Morgan when he hit 17 against Afghanistan back in the 2019 World Cup which highlights what a special effort it was.

Despite those numbers, it was one over in particular that caught the attention of cricket fans around the world. Malhotra was at the crease as his side’s final over started, facing PNG paceman Gaudi Toka. He sent that ball for six and buoyed by that shot, he followed it up with another. The final four balls also cleared the boundary rope in an exhibition of maximum hitting to record six sixes in one over, joining a very exclusive club.

Only eight batsmen had previously hit six sixes in a single over in top-level cricket with Malhotra becoming the ninth. He is the second man this year to achieve the feat and the fifth since 2017, suggesting that this could become a more regular occurrence with a greater focus being placed on white-ball cricket. The legendary Sir Garfield Sobers became the first man to hit six maximums in the same over all the way back in 1968 with only one other batsman managing the accomplishment by the time the third man (Herschelle Gibbs in 2007) was able to do so for South Africa vs the Netherlands during a World Cup clash.

Batsmen to hit six sixes in an over in top-level cricket:

Sir Garfield Sobers - 1968
Ravi Shastri - 1984
Herschelle Gibbs - 2007
Yuvraj Singh - 2007
Ross Whiteley - 2017
Hazratullah Zazai - 2018
Leo Carter - 2020
Kieron Pollard - 2021
Jaskaran Malhotra - 2021