Exactly 10 years ago, India’s Yuvraj Singh took Stuart Broad apart in devastating fashion to hammer six sixes in an over at the ICC World Cup T20 in South Africa.
In a group-stage clash between India and England at the Kingsmead Oval in Durban, the fates of a 25-year-old Yuvraj and a 21-year-old Broad collided to create history and send the Indian supporters into delirium.
Yuvraj was already an established star in India’s batting line-up while a young Broad was just taking baby-steps in a career which has since then gone from strength to strength.
The 19th over of the Indian innings was when the destruction from Yuvraj’s bat would happen as he sent Broad packing to all parts of the Kingsmead Oval with six hits so aesthetically pleasing to the eye that no one cared to notice young Englishman’s plight at being on the receiving end of such a hammering.
The pacer would finish the match with figures of 0-60 in his four overs as his side would ultimately lose the battle by 18 runs while Yuvraj would go on to score the fastest half-century in international cricket taking just 12 deliveries to reach the mark.
Credit has to be given to the Nottingham-born Broad though. Countless youngsters would have crumbled under the pressure of being on the receiving end of such a once in a lifetime hammering.
Self-confidence is a fickle thing and for it to be shaken at such a young age at a crucial World Cup encounter with millions of fans watching would not have been easy for Broad.
But here we are, 10 years later, and the 31-year-old pacer is now a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to English cricket.
Arguably at the peak of his bowling prowess, the still baby-faced Broad has gone on to form a lethal partnership with James Anderson in England’s red-ball pace-attack and currently sits with 388 Test scalps to his name.
Broad completed a famous hat-trick against India at Trent Bridge.
He has two Test hat-tricks to his name and incidentally one of them did come against India in 2011.
That particular hat-trick came in the four-match Pataudi Trophy series in England where India were whitewashed 4-0. Broad would be adjudged the player of the series for his performance that summer where he ended up with 25 wickets.
Yuvraj meanwhile has gone on to have an illustrious career with India and was the major protagonist in the country’s triumph at the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Yuvraj would end up as player of the tournament in India’s WC win in 2011.
A career which has seen the batsman beat cancer to make a storied comeback, now appears to be coming towards its inevitable end with the left-hander not being picked for India since the ODI series against West Indies earlier this June.
With 304 ODIs to his name which has brought 8,701 runs, Yuvraj has seen it all. Perhaps he will carry the disappointment of not making a bigger indent in Test cricket for India but few would argue that the man has been one of the greatest limited-overs players to have ever worn the Indian jersey.
There is no doubt that both Yuvraj and Broad have been champion cricketers for their respective teams ever since that fateful night in Durban. One of them is now winding up his career while the other is still going from strength to strength.
The scars from that hammering have long been erased by Broad through his showing ever since, while Yuvraj’s assault will forever remain one of his greatest achievements in a trophy-laden career.
