SHIMLA: In an extraordinary feat, Indian first-class cricketer Akash Kumar Choudhary smashed not 6, but 8 consecutive sixes in just 8 balls, creating a new chapter in cricket history.
Playing for Meghalaya in the Ranji Trophy Plate Group match against Arunachal Pradesh, Akash achieved the fastest half-century in first-class cricket, reaching 50 runs in only 11 balls and 9 minutes.
Akash came to bat at number 8 when Meghalaya was already 576 for 6.
After starting his innings with a dot ball and two singles, he unleashed 6 consecutive sixes off left-arm spinner Liemar Dabi in a single over, becoming only the third player in first-class history to hit 6 sixes in an over, joining Garfield Sobers (1968) and Ravi Shastri (1985).
He then added 2 more sixes in the following over to complete his half-century in just 11 balls, breaking the previous world record for the fastest fifty in first-class cricket, which was held by former English cricketer Viv White, who scored a fifty in 12 balls for Essex in 2012.
Akash’s explosive innings helped Meghalaya reach 629 before declaring. Remarkably, his 50 runs came entirely from 8 sixes, with no fours, leaving him unbeaten on 50 off 14 balls.
This marks the first time in first-class cricket that a batter has hit 8 consecutive sixes.
It is worth mentioning that the record of highest individual score at the first class level was set by Brian Charles Lara of West Indies.
He had scored 501 runs not out playing from the Warwickshire in 1994.
The record for the most wickets in first-class cricket is held by Wilfred Rhodes of England, who took 4,204 wickets between 1898 and 1930 which still remains an unbroken record.
He also scored over 39,000 runs, making him one of the greatest all-rounders in cricket history.
