Yuvraj Singh's 6 Sixes in an Over Explained: 2007 T20 World Cup vs Stuart Broad

On 19 September 2007 at the Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, Yuvraj Singh hit six consecutive sixes off six consecutive deliveries from England's Stuart Broad during the ICC World Twenty20 (T20 World Cup). India's second group game against England was the context. The over — the 19th of India's innings — took Yuvraj from approximately 50 to 78; he would end the innings at 58 off 16 balls, having also reached 50 off 12 balls (the fastest T20I half-century at the time, a record later broken). The six-sixes over was broadcast live to a global audience of approximately 200 million and is consistently cited as T20 cricket's defining single over.

The Altercation That Preceded the Over

The six-sixes over did not emerge in isolation — it followed a heated exchange between Yuvraj Singh and Andrew Flintoff during India's innings. Flintoff verbally confronted Yuvraj during a tense passage of play (India had been struggling); Yuvraj responded aggressively in the exchange. When Yuvraj came to face Stuart Broad immediately after the Flintoff confrontation, he was already in an elevated emotional state. After each of the first two or three sixes, Yuvraj gestured or called toward the England team — making clear the altercation was fuelling his batting. The psychological trigger — Flintoff's verbal provocation converting into Yuvraj's anger, then released through batting — made the over a narrative of mental state converting to performance.

The Six Deliveries

Stuart Broad's over (the 19th, before the final over): Ball 1 — full and straight, Yuvraj lofted straight over long-on for six. Ball 2 — back of a length outside off, dispatched over wide long-on for six. Ball 3 — full outside off, hit powerfully over cover for six (a particularly unexpected direction, not the usual on-side power). Ball 4 — full ball, driven straight over the sightscreen for six. Ball 5 — wide full ball, hooked over fine leg for six. Ball 6 — attempted slower ball or full delivery, dispatched over square leg for six. Broad was bowling at approximately 85mph — quick enough that the sixes required genuine hitting ability rather than simply timing. The six-sixes delivery selection was mixed — Broad tried pace, length, and direction variation; Yuvraj improvised to all of them. The crowd at Wanderers responded with a sustained roar after each six.

India's 2007 T20 World Cup Win

India won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 — their first ICC title since the 1983 ODI World Cup, and the first-ever T20 World Cup. MS Dhoni (captain) led India through a tense group stage and knockout rounds. The Final vs Pakistan was decided by a Misbah-ul-Haq scoop off Joginder Sharma (a seamer who had not previously bowled in the tournament) caught at fine leg — India won by 5 runs. Yuvraj Singh was named Player of the Tournament (he also took wickets as a left-arm spin bowler throughout). The 2007 tournament's success is directly credited with cementing T20 as a serious format — it demonstrated that the 20-over format could produce a high-quality World Cup and laid the commercial foundation for the IPL's launch in 2008.