Video: Dimitri Mascarenhas hits five sixes off Yuvraj Singh

The over when Dimitri Mascarenhas took Yuvraj Singh to the cleaners

8 years ago on this very day, Dimitri Mascarenhas pulled off something special during the sixth ODI of the NatWest Series against India at the Oval. The English cricketer of Sri-Lankan origin ended England’s innings by sensationally smashing Yuvraj Singh for five consecutive sixes off the final five deliveries of the 50th over, aiding his team’s efforts to clinch the seven-match series before the final match.

England was in trouble after winning the toss and electing to bat first as they fell to 20-2 within the first four overs. Ian Bell tried to steady the ship with a brisk 49, but even he was sent back to the stands with England having put only 79 runs onboard. Following the loss of Paul Collingwood after just four runs, Kevin Pietersen and Owais Shah struck up a vital 54-run partnership although the former was run-out in the 31st over leaving England at 137-5.

Shah continued to bat brilliantly as he helped build another partnership, this time with Luke Wright as they added 106 more runs to the total before the latter’s dismissal for 50 in the 45th over. He was joined by Mascarenhas with the score at 243-6, who got off to a slow start as he hit just 6 runs in the first 9 deliveries.

The fateful over and the last laugh

Yuvraj Singh was given the nod by Rahul Dravid to bowl the final over of the first innings, but the Indian Captain might have ended up regretting the decision come the end of the match.

Mascarenhas attempted to clear the fence off the second delivery after he missed the first and was fortunately dropped by Piyush Chawla, who slid into the boundary line after making up tons of ground and taking a brilliant catch. He then went on to hit four more sixes in the following deliveries, with all coming on the leg-side of the pitch as his amazing cameo and Owais Shah’s 95-ball 107 helped England reach a challenging total of 316-6.

Despite the huge total, he and England didn’t have the last laugh. India levelled the series 3-3 with the help of a quick 94 from Sachin Tendulkar and some good batting throughout, as they clinched a tense 2-wicket victory with just two balls to spare.