5 of the most iconic shots in cricket history

While no one cricket shot ever impacted the outcome of an entire match, many shots have gained significantly greater significance than others due to the setting in which they were played or the part they played in changing the sport. Here are the five most legendary cricket shots in history:

#5 Brian Laras pull shot to surpass Garry Sobers world record score of 365

Brian Lara’s debut for the West Indies revealed a player with extraordinary abilities, and his record-breaking 375 against England in Antigua in 1994 further confirmed that belief.

West Indies won the toss and elected to bat on the first day of the Test on a rather calm surface, but lost Stuart Williams early. That brought Lara to the crease, much to the delight of the enormous West Indian audience, and he proceeded to put on a batting feast for all who watched over the following two days. He hit his triple hundred late on Day 2 and concluded the day with 320.

With West Indies comfortably on 502/4 heading into Day 3 and any outcome other than a draw looking doubtful, the primary focus was on whether Lara could break Sir Gary Sobers’ world record score of 365 against Pakistan in 1958. And Lara didn’t let down, immediately catching Sobers on 365 before ripping a short delivery from Chris Lewis for four to the midwicket boundary and overtaking the great man.

Sobers was there on the ground that day and praised Lara’s efforts, saying, “I don’t think a greater person could have broken my record.”

#4 Kevin Pietersens switch-hit off Muttiah Muralitharan

Kevin Pietersen has always been noted for his free-spirited style as a batter. Even by his standards, the switch-hit is an outlandish stroke to attempt.

A switch-hit is a stroke in which a right-handed batsman switches his grip on the bat handle and alters his stance just as the bowler’s delivery stride begins to play like a left-hander, or vice versa.

Pietersen initially used the shot during a Test match against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston in May 2006, and while it has since been part of many batsmen’s arsenal, the difficulties required in performing the stroke cannot be overstated.

Facing Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan, who most batters find tough to face when batting normally, Pietersen switched his grip at the last second and blasted him into the stands for a six with a left-stance, hander’s absolutely surprising not just Murali but the entire cricketing world.

Although the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the guardians of cricket’s laws, have said that they would not legislate against the shot because it is completely lawful under the rules of the game, it does have its detractors who say that the shot offers the batsman an unfair advantage over the bowler.

#3 Javed Miandads last ball six against India at Sharjah

No incident in the 1980s symbolised Pakistan-India rivalry more than Javed Miandad’s six off the penultimate ball of an ODI between the two countries in Sharjah in April 1986. After all, Pakistan dominated for most of the decade, and Miandad’s talent was clearly a significant part of that domination.

On this specific instance, the AustralAsia Cup final, Pakistan required 246 off 50 overs and was actually behind the eight ball for the whole of the game. So much so that India were favourites even going into the final ball of the game, assuming you ignore Miandad’s brilliance.

Miandad went on to do two better, striking a six over mid-wicket off a low full-toss from Chetan Sharma to win his team the final, ending on 116* from 114 deliveries. Sharma didn’t do anything wrong with his delivery, but you didn’t have to do anything wrong to be penalised by the street-smart Pakistani.

#2 Sachin Tendulkars upper cut against Shoaib Akhtar in the 2003 World Cup

The rivalry between Sachin Tendulkar and Shoaib Akhtar had reached fever pitch in the run-up to the Super Six match between the two arch rivals during the 2003 World Cup. Of course, the two had a well-documented history, with Akhtar dismissing Tendulkar for a golden duck during their first meeting, in a Test match in Kolkata in 1999.

Tendulkar, on the other hand, was too confident in his ability to let this encounter go the same way. Tendulkar established the record straight away with a brilliant upper cut over third man for six in Akhtar’s very first over, chasing a tough total of 274 from 50 overs. The ball was a little short in length but had just enough room for Tendulkar to free his arms and take full toll.

Undoubtedly the Little Master played many more visually attractive strokes over his 24-year international career, but I doubt any of them had the same effect as this one.

The then-29-year-old Mumbaikar went on to hit 98 off just 75 deliveries, laying the groundwork for India to surpass Pakistan’s total with 6 wickets and 26 balls to spare.

#1 MS Dhonis match-winning six in 2011 World Cup final

Indian cricket fans had to wait 28 years after the historic ICC Cricket World Cup victory in 1983 to enjoy World Cup triumph again. The wait was made worthwhile, though, by Indian captain MS Dhoni, who blasted a breathtakingly soaring six off the bowling of Nuwan Kulasekara to conclude things in grand style and win India the 2011 World Cup, capping off a match-winning 91* from 79 balls.

India were in trouble at 114/3 when Dhoni stepped out to bat, needing 275 from 50 overs to win. Despite being in bad form, having scored a total of 150 runs in eight matches before to the final, he mustered the confidence to promote himself ahead of Yuvraj Singh, who was in top form. Fortunately for Dhoni and India, the move paid off.

He began his inning without doing anything risky: one and twos with the occasional wayward ball in between were the order of the day. Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir was in fantastic form right from the start of his innings and appeared to be on track to lead the squad to victory.

Gambhir was removed for 97 following a 109-run partnership with Dhoni. Victory was within sight by then, with 52 needed at a run a ball and 6 wickets in hand. Dhoni and Yuvraj went about their business calmly, and with the Punjab left-hander on strike, only five runs were required off 12 balls.

Yuvraj, maybe sensing Dhoni’s desire to score the winning runs after putting in so much effort, rotated the strike over, reducing the equation to 4 from 11.

Even one run at a time would have sufficed, but Dhoni has a penchant for the exceptional. Then he did it again, sending a helpless Kulasekara over wide long-on for an enormous six, presumably sending not only the majority of the 42,000 (there were a few Sri Lankans in the stadium as well) there that evening, but the whole nation, into delirious glee.

Also Read: Different Types of Cricket Shots With Images (cricfiles.com)