Former Indian middle-order batter Yuvraj Singh left no hiding place for England seamer Stuart Broad on this day (September 19th) in 2007 as he bludgeoned six sixes in one over in the T20 World Cup. As a result, the southpaw became the first batter to achieve the feat in T20I cricket.
The incident occurred in the 19th over of the innings and Yuvraj's war of words with English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff moments before that seemed to have ignited the spark in him. The first two deliveries went over cow corner and backward square leg region, followed by extra cover and backward point for the next two. The left-hander struck the penultimate delivery for six also over cow corner and smashed the final one over wide mid-on.
In the process, the spin-bowling all-rounder also brought up the fastest fifty in T20I cricket off 12 deliveries and India went on to score 218 in 20 overs. The Englishmen put up a valiant fight to chase down the total but fell short by 18 runs in the end.
"I wish that didn't happen" - Stuart Broad recollects the incident
During an interview in the recent Ashes series, Broad revealed that he wished the incident hadn't taken place, but credited it for making him the bowler he turned out to be. The retired cricketer elaborated:
"I started building my 'warrior mode' that I call it after that experience. Ultimately, I wish that didn't happen. What really helped me that it was a dead rubber, so I didn't feel like I'd knocked us out of the World Cup. But I think it steeled me up to make me the competitor I am to this day, and has driven me forward a huge amount. I'd rushed my preparation, I didn't have any pre-ball routine, I didn't have any focus."
Broad, however, enjoyed the perfect farewell as he took a wicket off the final ball of his career to lead England to an Ashes draw.
