6,6,6,6,6,6 - a furious Yuvraj Singh produced a hitting masterclass in the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup 15 years ago. One of India’s most flamboyant batsmen, Yuvraj hit England bowler Stuart Broad out of the park in all directions after an on-field altercation. Years later, the fiery left hander revealed what made him so angry on the day etched in the memory of millions of cricket lovers.
During India’s 2007 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match in Durban, Yuvraj had an argument with former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff. The exchange of words angered Yuvraj so much that he decided to hulkishly smash every ball of the next over. Yuvraj once revealed what the conversation that made him ‘so angry’.
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What made Yuvraj fume and create history at the 2007 T20 World Cup?
The over before the historic 6 sixes over, Yuvraj struck Flintoff for two boundaries. The all-rounder did not take it well as they weren’t loose balls. Flintoff started hurling abuses at Yuvraj, and the two towering figures of the limited overs format then entered a heated war of words.
Flintoff told Yuvraj that he would “cut his throat off”. Not one to hold himself back, the left-handed explosive batsman responded saying “you see this bat in my hand? You know where I am gonna hit you with this bat?” he had recalled.
The words left Yuvraj Singh fuming. He first glared at another England all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas and then turned his eyes towards Flintoff. He looked at Mascarenhas because Yuvraj had himself been at the receiving end of a heavy 5 sixes in an over onslaught by the player just a month ago during an ODI match in London’s Oval, he had revealed to Kevin Pietersen in an Instagram conversation.
Nobody could imagine what was to come next. While Yuvraj was enraged by Flintoff and wanted to repay Masceranhas, the man who would pay was the young and promising pacer Broad. For those who want to relive Yuvraj’s most iconic play on the cricket field, here’s a video of the 6 sixes. WATCH:
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Yuvraj’s monstrous sixes and quickfire innings paved the way for India to make it to the semi-finals and eventually win the tournament in momentum, in a nail-biting finish against Pakistan. While Yuvraj and Flintoff looked like sworn enemies on the field at the time, they greeted one another and had a handshake after the match, in line with the spirit of the game.
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