London, October 28:

The cricket ball that was hit by legend Gary Sobers for six consecutive sixes in one over in 1968 is to be auctioned by Christie’s on November 15. The ball is considered to be in a good condition despite the battering it received when he played Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan at Swansea on August 31, 1968. He is the only cricketer in England to hit six sixes in an over in a first class match.The unfortunate bowler was Malcolm Nash.

The only other cricketer to have matched the feat was India’s Ravi Shastri when batting for Mumbai against Baroda at Mumbai in 1985. The cricket ball is expected to fetch up to £8,000 at the Christie’s sporting sale. Sobers started the over by hitting the first two balls over the heads of mid-wicket fielders. On the third delivery, Sobers went down the wicket and drove the ball into the pavilion enclosure and the fourth he pulled over the scoreboard.

The fifth ball was caught by Roger Davis on the long-off boundary. But in doing so, Davis fell over the ropes and after a consultation between the umpires, another six was signalled. On the last delivery Sobers hit the ball out of the ground into a nearby street, where it was recovered a day later by a youngster. The bat, which Sobers used, was sold for £54,257 at an auction in Melbourne in 2000.