In the first ever T20 world cup, when all-rounder Yuvraj Singh showed some of the best patches of power play against Stuart Broad of England. Yuvraj also emerged as the hero of the 2007 Twenty20 world cup, where in a Super Eight match against England at Kingsmead in Durban, Yuvraj hit six consecutive sixes in an over which will go down in the history of cricket.
The setting for this moment was created after Yuvraj and England’s aggressive fast bowler Andrew Flintoff exchanged some harsh words on the field. A couple of boundaries off Flintoff, things got heated up when Flintoff squared up to Yuvraj and threatened him, saying, “That was a lucky shot. I’m gonna cut your throat off!” Yuvraj, who never backed down from a fight, replied, saying, “You see this bat? You know where I’m gonna hit you with it.”
This confrontation was to spark a fire in Yuvraj, which was to come out in the most spectacular manner in the near future. When Broad was starting his over, Yuvi was ready to go. The first ball was hit for a six over deep mid-wicket, and the next ball was also hit for a six over the square leg.
The crowd erupted as each subsequent delivery also disappeared into the stands: over long-off, backward point, square leg again and then a big six over long-on. At the end of the over, Yuvraj had made 36 runs and achieved the fifty in the fastest ever time of 12 balls in the T20 International. Yuvraj’s spectacular knock of 58 runs in 16 balls enabled India to set a competitive target of 218/4.
This was as far as England’s spirited effort could go, and they were bowled out for 200/6, thereby giving India an 18-run win and setting the stage for the Indian team to march to the final. This particular episode not only revealed how talented Yuvraj was as a cricketer, but also how a confrontation can lead to great performances in sports.
