Cricinfo
September 19, 2007
India 218 for 4 (Sehwag 68, Yuvraj 58) beat England 200 for 6 (Collingwood 28, Pathan 3-33) by 18 runs
Done and dusted: Yuvraj Singh did a perfect demolition job with six sixes off six balls
It was a must-win match for India and they delivered the goods by beating England in a belter by 18 runs. Yuvraj's ballistic 58, with a record 36 in one over, made the difference as England fought back without really threatening an upset.
Yuvraj Singh did a Garry Sobers on his way to an astonishing 12-ball half-century as India's batsmen eviscerated England at Kingsmead. India finished with 218 for 4, with Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir also making fifties, but everything that went before was eclipsed by the penultimate over in which Yuvraj went berserk against a hapless Stuart Broad.
There had been an altercation of sorts with Andrew Flintoff at the end of the previous over, and Yuvraj took out his ire on the white ball. The first ball was sent soaring over midwicket and nearly out of the ground, and the second flicked behind square. After an effortless loft over extra-cover and another biff behind point off a poor full toss, you could sense the frisson of excitement around the ground.
Virender Sehwag found his groove and gave India a rollicking start
Paul Collingwood and Broad had a chat, but it didn't help, as an on-bended-knee effort over midwicket was followed by another huge swipe over wide mid-on. Six balls, six sixes, 36 runs, and utter humiliation for an English team that had already been dumped out of the tournament.
Yuvraj Singh's savage assault on Stuart Broad made him the first batsman to hit six sixes in an over in Twenty20 internationals and the fourth in senior cricket. Garry Sobers and Ravi Shastri did it in first-class matches, Herschelle Gibbs in the World Cup and now Yuvraj. This is the excerpt from Cricinfo's ball-by-ball commentary ...
18.1 Broad to Yuvraj Singh, SIX, that's out the ground, super shot over cow corner and it just kept going up.
18.2 Broad to Yuvraj Singh, SIX, now that really is sweet, no more than a dismissive flick off his legs, swatting a fly, and the ball arcs deep into the crowd beyond backward square leg. The dodgy TV measurement says that's 111 yards but as it landed outside the ground how do they know? They guess that's how.
18.3 Broad to Yuvraj Singh, SIX, he's hitting them everywhere, he steps to leg and smashes the ball over extra cover and it keeps on traveling. The fireworks start on top of the scoreboard and they've been going off in the middle for some time.
18.4 Broad to Yuvraj Singh, SIX, Shiver me timbers! Broad goes round the wicket, bowls a filthy wide full toss and Yuvraj steers it over backward point and it clears the rope again.
18.5 Broad to Yuvraj Singh, SIX, down on one knee and larruped over midwicket, that one was more nine iron, it went into the night sky and dropped with a thud in the jubilant crowd. England have a team meeting.
Broad looks quizzical and miserable. Can he, can Yuvraj do it. Broad looks like a man who knows he is about to be mauled again.
18.6 Broad to Yuvraj Singh, SIX, and he has, Yuvraj leans back and smacks that over wide mid-on. It was the maximum from the moment it left that bat and the crowd was roaring as it flew.