6 instances when batsmen hit a crucial six off the last ball

The saga of Dinesh Karthik echoed in R Premadasa Stadium Colombo on Sunday, when he connected the last delivery of Soumya Sarkar to bury the ball in the stands with a six and etched an Indian victory that would be cherished for long.

When Dinesh Karthik came in to bat at No. 7, India needed 34 in two overs to win the game. He ended up scoring 29 in eight deliveries and his knock included a last-ball six, which was hit when India needed five runs to win the tournament.

Following the lead from this clash, let’s have a look at more such instances in international cricket where the batsman stunned the bowler with a six-off the last ball and hit the match-winning shot to earn a victory for his side:

#6 Javed Miandad - India vs Pakistan, 1986

Whenever India and Pakistan come up against each other on the cricketing field, an emotional upheaval is evident in the assembled crowd.

While chasing 246 in Sharjah to claim victory in the Austral-Asia Cup, Pakistan were already nine down when Tauseed Ahmed joined Javed Miandad in the middle. The batting side needed four runs off the last ball to clinch the game.

Chetan Sharma bowled a full toss and Miandad hit it over the square leg for a shot that went for a six. The crowd erupted to celebrate the Pakistani victory and the effect of that six was seen in the following matches between the two nations for many years to come.

India vs Pakistan will always a head-turner in the sport.

#5 Lance Klusener - South Africa vs New Zealand, 1999

Klusener, a man with his own class — Klusener was one of the most successful all-rounders of South Africa

South Africa needed 11 runs off the last over to win the match.

Proteas were chasing 192 in Napier, where the match was reduced to 40 overs. Mark Boucher was sent back to the pavilion by Dion Nash off the second ball of the last over. Lance Klusener was on strike for the final delivery of the game.

South Africa required four runs to win at that stage, and the last ball went for a maximum to give Proteas a famous victory, which came by a margin of two wickets. Klusener gave a sneak peek into what followed in the World Cup a few months later, where he continued his impressive run in international cricket.

#4 Brendan Taylor - Zimbabwe vs Bangladesh, 2006

Brandon Taylor was a right-handed batsman and part-time wicket-keeper for Zimbabwe

While playing this Harare thriller, Zimbabwe needed 28 runs off the last two overs.

Brendan Taylor and Tawanda Mupariwa piled 11 runs in the second-last over, leaving 17 for the final six deliveries. Bangladesh sent Mashrafe Mortaza to bowl the last over.

Taylor hit a six off the second ball and it seemed like Zimbabwe had a real chance of clinching the game. However, unpredictability was added to the mix yet again when Mupariwa got run-out on the fifth ball of the over.

With five runs needed to win the match, Taylor took the bull by its horns. He hit a six over mid-wicket to hand a breathtaking victory to his nation.

#3 Shivnarine Chanderpaul – West Indies vs Sri Lanka, 2008

In the nail-biting first match of the bilateral series, West Indies needed 13 runs off the final over against Sri Lanka.

Veteran pacer, Chaminda Vaas, was bowling for his team and Windies had lost the wicket of Suleiman Benn’s in the penultimate over of the chase.

The right-handed batsman, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, was their last hope when they needed ten runs off last two balls to win the game.

And that’s when the drama unfolded and Chanderpaul hit the fifth ball for a smashing four. Vaas bowled a full toss then and thus, the last ball of the over went for a massive six of the willow of Chanderpaul.

#2 Ryan McLaren – South Africa vs New Zealand, 2013

Enter — South African cricketer Ryan McLaren is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler.

South Africa feared a 3-0 whitewash against the Kiwis when they stepped on to the field for the third and final ODI of the series on their home turf.

They needed eight off the last over with two wickets in hand. The Proteas needed to give Ryan McLaren as much strike as possible to win the game, but Dale Steyn seemed stuck at the crease for the initial chunk of the over.

The sigh of relief came for the Rainbow Nation when McLaren got the strike for the final ball. The hosts needed three runs to win the game. Franklin bowled it short and McLaren pulled it for six to save his team from what would've been an embarrasing clean sweep.

#1 Dinesh Karthik – India vs Bangladesh, 2018

Bangladesh would've clinched their first ever T20I victory against India last week, had Dinesh Karthik not played a heroic knock in the final of the Nidahas Trophy at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

The match seemed to tilt in favour of Bangladesh when India needed as many as 34 runs off last two overs, while chasing a modest target of 167.

However, the fortunes changed dramatically in the 19th over of the game, where Karthik went berserk with the bat. Ultimately, the Men in Blue needed 12 off the final over. Vijay Shankar, who was having a frustrating night with the bat, was caught in the deep on the fifth ball of the over. The batsmen had crossed and hence, Karthik got the strike for the last delivery of the game.

With five needed off it, Karthik hit the last ball for a six over extra-cover and churned out a moment of glory for the Indian team.