Gibbs' six appeal

Herschelle Gibbs hits one of those famous sixes into the stands © Getty Images

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Herschelle Gibbs’ six sixes in an over have put a new entry in cricket’s history but the man himself has been busy ever since deflecting praise for his achievement.

South Africa’s Gibbs hit Holland leg-spinner Daan van Bunge five times in an arc between long-on and long-off – peppering the glazing in the pavilion at Warner Park – and once over mid-wicket in the World Cup Group A win.

His 72, a 15th one-day international hundred from Jacques Kallis (128no), a World Cup record 21-ball half-century from Mark Boucher (75no) – and 67 at the top of the order from captain Graeme Smith – mauled the Dutch bowlers on the way to 353 for three.

That was South Africa’s new best total in the competition, and Holland - already the stooges for Sri Lanka’s highest one-day innings last summer - could muster only 132 for nine in reply.

It will all be remembered chiefly, however, for Gibbs’ brutal onslaught – about which he remains notably modest.

“It’s up there with the best things I’ve done,” he admitted.

“I never thought about getting six in a row – but if it’s your day, it’s your day.

“After the first three I thought I was in with a chance. But I decided I wasn’t going to charge him; I’d wait to see what he does – and luckily they fell into the right slot.”

Gibbs eventually fell for a scintillating 72 from just 40 deliveries © Getty Images

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“I thought I’d just wait and see what he came up with, and it landed in the right areas for me to have another two gos at them – and luckily enough for me I never missed any of them,” he said.

He was equally at pains, though, to point out that the innings and attitudes of Smith and Kallis gave him the freedom to do what he did.

“I’ve got to thank Graeme and Jacques for giving me licence to go after the bowling,” he said. “Records do happen, and it was just my day.”

The feat has only been achieved twice before - both in first-class cricket:

Sir Garry Sobers, 1968

The West Indies all-rounder became the first man in cricket history to record the landmark playing for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan in Swansea.

Sobers took a liking to the slow-left arm bowling of the unfortunate Malcolm Nash, who saw his first two deliveries disappear into the stands of the Cricketer's Inn.

The third went into the pavilion enclosure and the fourth was sent over the scoreboard.

A fifth was driven straight and although Roger Davis caught it he fell over the boundary in the process.

On the last delivery wicket-keeper Eifion Jones famously bet Sobers that he could not make it six out of six.

Sobers did just that however, hitting the ball out of the ground into a nearby street.

Ravi Shastri, 1985

Shastri followed Sobers into the record books playing for Bombay at home to Baroda in the Ranji Trophy.

On this occasion another slow left-armer Tilak Raj was on the receiving end at the Wankhede Stadium.

What made Shastri’s achievement more special was it was made en route to the fastest double-hundred in first-class cricket, 200 not out made in 113 minutes.