Keiron Pollard becomes first West Indian to hit 6 sixes in an over
Keiron Pollard becomes first West Indian to hit 6 sixes in an over
Keiron Pollard on Wednesday became the first West Indian and third cricketer overall to hit six sixes in an international match as West Indies beat Sri Lanka by four wickets in their first Twenty20 International in Antigua.
The 33-year-old achieved the feat when his home side was struggling at 52 for three while chasing 132 after Akila Danajaya had dismissed Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran off consecutive deliveries.
Pollard soon turned the bowler, who had claimed a hat-trick, from a hero to zero in the space of two overs by smashing him for six straight sixes to become the third player in game’s history after Herschelle Gibbs an Yuvraj Singh to reach the milestone in an international fixture.
"I felt after hitting a couple of sixes, I understood how the pitch plays, it was important to be positive and play your shots," Pollard said. "Back yourselves to clear the boundary.
"A couple of things went through my mind before the sixth ball, I thought should I go for the six or take the 30 runs in the over, he went around the wicket and bowled it onto my pads, I told myself 'Wait Polly, take a chance'.
"That's how I have played my cricket all along, especially against the spinners."
Pollard was dismissed for 38 in the following over by Wanindu Hasaranga but Jason Holder and Dwayne Bravo completed the chase with more than six overs to spare.
The other players to achieve the feat include Garry Sobers (1968) and Ravi Shastri (1985) doing so in first-class games, Gibbs (2007) in a one-dayer, Yuvraj (2007) in a T20I, and Ross Whiteley (2017) and Hazratullah Zazai (2018) in domestic T20 games.
Sri Lanka will look to level the series when the second T20 begins on Friday.
Read: Finch, Agor keep Australia alive in T20I series against NZ
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