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A Star is Born in Shillong
Rip up the record books. In the quiet, picturesque setting of Shillong’s Polo Ground, a storm has just rewritten cricketing history. Its name is Akash Kumar.
In a stunning display of power-hitting, Meghalaya’s Akash Kumar has smashed the fastest-ever first-class fifty, reaching the milestone in a scarcely believable 12 balls. His innings, which featured an unbelievable eight consecutive sixes, has catapulted the unheralded middle-order batsman into the global spotlight.
The stage was a Ranji Trophy Plate Group encounter against Arunachal Pradesh. With Meghalaya looking to press for a quick declaration, the instruction from the dressing room was simple: score quickly. Kumar, a 23-year-old known more for his solid technique, took that message to heart and delivered an innings for the ages.
The Record-Breaking Onslaught: 8 Sixes in a Row
Walking to the crease with his team at 240/4, Kumar started cautiously, nudging his way to 2 runs from his first four deliveries. What followed was nothing short of a cricketing blitzkrieg.
Facing a gentle off-spinner, Kumar launched the final two balls of the 77th over for massive sixes over long-on and deep mid-wicket. The carnage had just begun.
As a new left-arm spinner came on for the next over, the field was spread, but it made no difference. The next six deliveries were dispatched with brute force and sublime timing, all clearing the boundary rope for six.
* Ball 1: Smashed straight back over the bowler’s head.
* Ball 2: Slog-swept into the stands.
* Ball 3: Pulled with disdain over deep mid-wicket.
* Ball 4: A monstrous hit that cleared the small stadium entirely.
* Ball 5: A dance down the track to hit a flighted delivery into orbit.
* Ball 6: A final, mighty swing over long-off to bring up his fifty and the world record.
His final scoring sequence was a jaw-dropping: 1, 1, ., ., 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6. He had gone from 2 runs to 50 in just eight balls.
Joining Cricket’s Most Exclusive Club
By reaching his half-century in just 12 balls, Kumar equalled the record for the fastest fifty in first-class history. However, his feat of hitting eight consecutive sixes to get there is an unprecedented achievement in top-level cricket.
This incredible display of hitting puts him in the hallowed company of legends like Sir Garfield Sobers and Ravi Shastri (six sixes in an over in first-class cricket) and surpasses Yuvraj Singh’s iconic six sixes in a T20 World Cup match.
“I honestly don’t know what happened,” a dazed Kumar said during the innings break. “The captain just told me to go have some fun and score as fast as I could. I saw the ball and I hit it. I wasn’t thinking about any records.”
Whether he was thinking about it or not, Akash Kumar has etched his name into immortality. From the serene hills of Meghalaya, a new star has exploded onto the Indian cricket scene, and the IPL franchises will surely have taken note.
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