
Kerala batter Salman Nizar put on an incredible display of hitting in the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) on Saturday, August 30.
Salman Nizar hits five consecutive sixes off Basil Thampi
In the first game of Saturday's double-header, the Calicut Globstars were inserted to bat after Adani Trivandrum Royals won the toss. Their innings was going poorly, at 40-3 after eight overs with Preethish Pawan, Rohan Kunnummal and Akhil Scaria all back in the hut.
Suresh Sachin's dismissal in the 14th over saw Salman Nizar walk in at 76-4. He also struggled to get going, making his way to 17 off 13 balls by the end of the 18th over, even as the team score stood at 115-6.
Taking the ball for the 19th was quick Basil Thampi, capped 25 times in the IPL. Nizar carved the first ball over cover for six. The second, almost identical, needed a boundary check to confirm it was six. Next, a slot ball went over midwicket. The fourth was almost an action replay, a full toss hit dismissively over midwicket. For the fifth ball, Nizar cleared his front foot and slogged an off-cutter over long on. The final ball saw him fail to connect properly, and he had to settle for a single to retain strike.
Watch: Nizar takes 40 runs off final over with 11 sixes in 12 balls
In the final over though, Abhijith Praveen bore the brunt of Nizar's bat. After the first delivery went over long off, the bowler sent down a wide, and a no-ball that went for a double. Nizar then sent all of the remaining five over the boundary in an incredible display of hitting.
The final over went for 40 runs, just after the penultimate one had gone for 31. Calicut finished on 186-6, and Nizar had hit 11 sixes off 12 legal deliveries. He scored 69 runs off his last 13 balls, to finish on 86 off 26 – hitting zero fours and 12 sixes in all.
Last November, Nizar had caught the eye with a similar display in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, hitting India quick Shardul Thakur for 6, 4, 6, 6 in the final over against Mumbai.
Image credit: FanCode
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.