Gary Sobers’ six sixes in an over

Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, Sir Garfield a.k.a Gary Sobers made history when he became the first cricketer to his six sixes in first-class cricket in 1968. Originally Sobers started his career mainly as a bowler but, he was soon promoted up the batting order in West Indies team of 1950s. Against Pakistan in 1958, Sobers scored his maiden Test century, progressing to 365 not out and establishing a new record for the highest individual score in an innings, which was not broken until Brian Lara scored 375 in 1994.

Garry Sobers not only made a significant mark on cricket history with his mammoth 365 but also went into cricketing folklore as the man who first achieved the unthinkable – six sixes in an over.

The 1968 season was nearing its conclusion when Nottinghamshire, captained by Sobers, travelled to St Helen’s in Swansea to play against Glamorgan. The home side were second in the league to Yorkshire, with Nottinghamshire back in fifth. But a victory for the visitors would lift them into fourth and win Sobers a bet and a case of champagne.

Nottinghamshire won the toss and batted, making reasonable progress in the first innings. At 308 for 5, Sobers decided that quick runs were needed for a declaration that would allow his bowlers a crack at the Glamorgan top order before the close.

Runs came quickly, and then Sobers took to Glamorgan bowlers. The victim was Malcolm Nash, a 23-year-old left-arm seamer who was experimenting with spin bowling.

Here’s that history defining over in words of none other than Malcolm Nash: “I was bowling orthodox slow left- arm spin, which I didn’t do all that often. I was just trying to get him out, simple as that. There was no point in bowling wide to him, because then I wouldn’t have got him out. It was the first time I had played against Sobers in a first-class match, and I wanted his wicket.

“I had him ‘caught’ off the fifth ball, but the only really bad ball I bowled was the last one. I tried to bowl a medium-paced seamer up in the blockhole. But I didn’t change my run-up and that was a real mistake. It was a half-tracker and he whacked it out of the ground. It was the first ball I bowled all day that deserved to be hit for six.”