Yusuf Pathan was hit for five consecutive sixes in one over by Sherfane Rutherford during the ILT20 competition, including a massive 93-metre hit down the field. Representing the Dubai Capitals, Pathan had a strong start in the match against the Desert Vipers, conceding 17 runs and taking the wicket of Colin Munro over the first three overs he bowled. However, when he came on for his final over, the 16th of the match, Desert Vipers were at 112-4 with Rutherford and Sam Billings at the crease.
Rutherford went on a hitting spree after Billings scored a single from Pathan’s first ball of the over. With 15 runs from 16 balls, Rutherford backed away from the stumps and smashed a floated ball from Pathan over long off, sending it soaring into the second tier of the stadium.
Rutherford capitalized on Pathan’s subpar delivery, which was right in his sweet spot, and hit an even bigger six this time. He swung through long-on, sending the ball soaring 93 meters into the stands.
Pathan attempted to shorten his delivery but it was to no avail as Rutherford continued to dominate. The batsman moved away from the stumps once again and hit a straight shot over Pathan’s head, clearing the advertising boards. Despite not hitting his third shot as precisely as his previous two, Rutherford still managed to send the ball flying over 80 meters.
Pathan attempted to disrupt Rutherford’s momentum by changing his bowling angle to over the wicket, but Rutherford adapted by targeting the leg-side boundary with a pull shot. He adjusted his stance to be nearly front-on and deep in the crease, sending the ball soaring over the square-leg boundary and into the lower-tier seats.
On the final delivery of his spell, Pathan bowled a full-pitched ball but ended up dragging it down the leg side, resulting in Rutherford completing his fifth consecutive six with a slog-sweep over backward square leg. Though it was more of a top-edge, the ball still carried enough momentum to clear the boundary rope, bringing the total runs for the over to 31.
With figures of 1-17 at the start of the over, Pathan ended up with final figures of 1-48. Despite this, Rutherford brought up his half-century in just 23 balls before being run out on the next delivery. The Desert Vipers posted a total of 182-7, leaving the Dubai Capitals with an uphill battle at 96-5 in the 14th over.
