Southpaw Yuvraj Singh made a name for himself while representing the Indian national through his hard-hitting prowess and gazelle-like instincts on-field. While Singh’s expertise with the bat endeared him to many fans, his ability to provide vital breakthroughs for his side with the bowl earned him much praise and adulation. As Yuvraj Singh turns 39, let us have a look at the time when Singh scored 36 runs in an over, smashing English ace pacer Stuart Board all over the pack on his road to a 12 balls half-century.

Yuvraj became the second player in International cricket after Herschelle Gibbs and the first Indian to achieve the feat of hitting six sixes. Playing in a make-or-break match in the Super 8’s of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup against England, India won the toss and elected to bat first.

Batting first India got off to a flyer with openers Virendra Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir adding 136 runs for the first wicket, following Sehwag, Gambhir and Uthappa, Yuvraj walked into the crease on the 17th over.

Opening his innings with the four, Singh announced his intent to score a big knock in a winning cause for his side. In the following over, Singh smashed English allrounder Andrew Flintoff for two successive boundaries, leading to an altercation between the two.

Singh, equally adept with the banter as with the bat, had the last laugh in the next over when ace pacer Stuart Broad walked in to deliver the 19th over.

Singh smashed the first six out of the ground over cow corner with TV measurements indicating that the ball had travelled 111 yards. 

However, this was the mere beginning of the slogger fest as Singh casually flicked the next ball off his legs deep into the backward square leg for a six.

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The third ball from Broad was clinically dispatched over extra cover and the result was a massive sixer, thus inflicting further misery on the English bowler.

Eighteen runs from three balls, the opposition was ruffled, and a visibly rattled Stuart Broad decided to pitch from around the wicket.

However, despite the different end, the outcome was the same on the fourth ball, as Singh expertly steered the ball over backward point for a sixer.

Fifth ball, yet another six for Yuvraj, down on one knee and a thumping shot over mid-wicket as the ball vanished into a jubilant crowd.

As a visibly quizzical and miserable Broad delivered his final delivery, Singh leaned back to smash the final ball over wide mid-on for yet another sixer.

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With that Singh replicated a fit matched only by Garry Sobers and Ravi Shastri in domestic cricket, also bringing up a 12 ball 50.

Singh also smashed Flintoff for a six in the next over only to be dismissed in the following delivery. Courtesy Singh’s innings India posted a mammoth total of 219 for the English side, ultimately winning the game by 18 runs. 

India would ultimately go on to win the tournament, as the MS Dhoni-led Indian side lifted the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Cup in 2007.