This day, that year: 12 years ago today, Yuvraj Singh slammed 6 sixes off Stuart Broad
Yuvraj Singh slammed 36 runs off one over to score the fastest fifty in T20I cricket as India beat England in Durban.
Time flies and all we have is memories. It was 12 years ago today, when Yuvraj Singh took Stuart Broad to the cleaners to achieve a historic feat at Durban during India's league fixture in the inaugural World T20 against England.
September 19, 2019 marks the 12-year anniversary of Yuvraj's historic feat against a hapless Broad following a verbal altercation with Andrew Flintoff. While we will never know if that set Yuvi off, what we do know is that it was night to remember and this how it unfolded:
Ball 1: It was the 19th over of the game and Broad bowled one on middle and leg and Yuvi hoiked it over deep mid-wicket for the first maximum, with the ball travelling out of the stadium.
Ball 2: He bowled the same line and length the following ball and this time it was just a flick off the wrist as he clipped it off his pads over deep square-leg for another six in fine fashion.
Ball 3: The third ball was pitched up around good length but more towards the slot outside off, Yuvi opened his stance, went down on one knee and slammed it over wide long-off for another maximum.
Ball 4: Broad in an attempt to shake things up, went around the wicket but could only bowl a hip high full-toss outside off. All Yuvi had to do was make room and slam it over wide point for the fourth straight-six.
Ball 5: Broad went back over the wicket and returned to the line he bowled in the first two and the result was the same. Yuvraj sat on one knee and dragged the ball from off stump to hit it over square leg for the fifth six off the over.
Ball 6: The Englishman once again pitched it up, Yuvi opened his stance and slammed it over long-on for the sixth maximum in a row to create history.
In the process, the southpaw reached his fifty off just 12 balls and it was also the first time it happened in a T20I. It remains the fastest half-century scored even now in the shortest format of the game.
India went on to win the match by 18 runs.
Yuvi was the second Indian to achieve the feat overall after current India coach Ravi Shastri. Shastri slammed Tilak Raj of Baroda for six maximums in the year 1985 while playing for Mumbai. In the process, he also slammed the fastest double century off just 123 balls.