11 March,2017 02:04 PM IST | | mid-day online correspondent
42-year-old Pakistan Test skipper Misbah-ul-Haq who has been under pressure to quit international cricket shut his detractors by scripting cricket history when he hit six 6s in six ball in a T20 match
Misbah hitting one of the sixes during his knock. Pic/YouTube
Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq has been in the news lately because of all the speculation about his retirement. With former players and the PCB chairman all baying for his blood, the 42-year-old cricketer showed his class by fighting fire with fire.
Misbah, who represents Hong Kong Island United in Hong Kong T20 Blitz, hit six sixes in six balls against Hung Hom Jaguars.
The historic cricketing moment was spread over two overs. The Pakistani batsman first hit compatriot Imran Arif for two sixes off the two balls of the 19th over. The 20th over was bowled by Ashly Caddy. Misbah took strike in the second ball and set about hitting him for four straight sixes and a four.
HERE'S THE VIDEO:
Misbah's heroics saw his team jump from 175/6 in 18.4 overs to end with 216/6, with the Pakistani cricketer going back to the pavilion unbeaten on 82 off just 37 balls. His knock included seven sixes and four fours. Hong Kong Island United beat Hung Hom Jaguars by 33 runs as the opposition could only manage 183/8 while chasing.
ALSO READ: Sensational sixes! These star batsmen hit 6 sixes in a single over
Misbah thus emulated star Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh, who had achieved the feat, but in one over. In doing so Yuvi also set the record for the fastest fifty in all forms of cricket achieving it in 12 balls. Yuvraj thrashed England pacer Stuart Broad during their T20I game in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.
The others to have achieved the feat of six consecutive sixes are Herschelle Gibbs, Garfield Sobers, Ravi Shastri, Jordan Clark and, recently, Alex Hales.
The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Shahryar Khan has conveyed to Test captain Misbah that the board wants him to retire after the tour to the West Indies in March-April. Shahryar retained Misbah as captain for the three-Test series on the West Indies tour after the senior batsman informed the PCB that he wanted to carry on playing for Pakistan.
Misbah, who isn't part of the Pakistan limited overs framework, as been mulling retirement for a while now.
