Stats: Expensive overs in ODI cricket

2) 35 runs - Robin Peterson (South Africa vs Sri Lanka)

They say that spinners are easy pickings in the power play overs. Try explaining that to South African skipper Graeme Smith. He handed the ball to spinner Robin Peterson hoping to confuse the batsman with his clever rotation of bowlers but little did he know that explosive all-rounder Thisara Perera was in such sublime touch that anything and everything would have flown off his bat in that over. Perera hit 5 sixes and a boundary in that over that went 6, wide, 6, 6,6,6,4. No wonder, Peterson wasn’t asked to bowl any more in the match.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 26: Thisara Perera of Sri Lanka hits a six to win the match during game one of the Twenty20 international match between Australia and Sri Lanka at ANZ Stadium on January 26, 2013 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Don Arnold/Getty Images)

1) 36 runs – Daan van Bunge (Netherlands vs South Africa)

The feat had never before been achieved in a one-day international until Hershelle Gibbs went berserk in the 2007 World Cup match against the lowly Dutch by smashing six sixes off a Daan van Bunge over in South Africa’s 221-run victory. While balls 1, 2 & 3 were driven straight over the bowler, ball 4 was a full toss and was pulled over midwicket. Ball 5 saw a flat-batted long hop over long-on while the 6^th delivery was a short ball and rightly smashed over long-off. And all 33 year old had to say after that mauling was “if it’s your day, it’s your day.”

Gibbs in action

* Updated on May 26, 2014