Sixes in cricket used to be relatively rare. That made them all the more cherished. It made them special. But are they still special considering their current frequency? Has big hitting become so commonplace that it is in danger of losing its appeal?
In 1999 during the Coca Cola Challenge final at the Kallang Cricket Ground in Singapore, Jamaican right-hander Ricardo Powell struck 124 off 93 balls against India to bring West Indies from a perilous 67/4, chasing 255, to a spectacular four-wicket victory. Powell struck nine sixes and eight fours in a brutal display that was quite novel at the time.
He was inundated with high praise, with former Australian captain Ian Chappell even mentioning Viv Richards in comparison. Former West Indies fast-bowler Michael Holding was more cautious than most, however, mentioning the fact that Powell hit more sixes than fours and that “was not how the game is normally played.”
The great man was right, of course. Sixes were a batter’s scarcest currency of trade. But he was only right according to the way the game was played at the time. Cricket has evolved, and we see batters hitting more sixes than fours all the time, especially in the game’s briefest form.
https://garfieldrobinson1.substack.com/p/when-everyone-is-super
