WATCH: Daniel Christian smashes Shakib Al Hasan for five sixes in an over
Facing question marks over his game and place in the Australian T20I side, experienced all-rounder Dan Christian responded strongly this Thursday (August 7). Christian produced his best in the penultimate game of the five-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Dhaka and hit veteran left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan for five sixes in an over.
The 38-year-old cricketer took on Shakib in the 3rd over of the Australian run-chase, missing out on only one of the six deliveries he faced while smashing the rest over the boundary ropes.
Defending their modest total of 104/9, Bangladesh handed Shakib the ball early in the proceedings, hoping that their great all-rounder would be able to get them back in the contest. However, their hopes and plans were ruined completely by Christian, as he hammered the hosts’ most skilful spin option and ended with an impactful knock of 39 off 15 balls.
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Dan Christian hit Shakib Al Hasan for five maximums in an over.
Dan Christian makes a statement in Dhaka
The flurry of sixes began with a well-timed hit over long-on. Stepping out and not letting the ball do its track on the spin-friendly Dhaka surface, Dan Christian had a confident downswing of the willow and found the maximum.
The maximum at the start of the over spurred the right-hand batsman on, with the next ball from Shakib once again sailing over the long-on boundary. This time Christian didn’t dance down the track, anticipating that Shakib would’ve predicted that in his head. The batter instead stayed rooted in his crease and looked to just find the alleviation.
The hat-trick of sixes was completed in a similar fashion when another flighted ball from Shakib was hit with great power and timing over mid-wicket. Shakib’s face told the story at this stage, as the bowler, who usually enjoys a wood over batsmen in home conditions, wore a look that suggested he is running out of options to stop Christian.
At the moment on, Australian fans may have started anticipating a perfect over of six sixes, but the dream was over off the next delivery which gripped and turned sharply past Christian’s bat to end as an anti-climatic dot ball.
However, that no-run ball didn’t change the fortunes much for Shakib, who was taken for a couple of sixes more by the end of the over. Dan Christian was in no mood to provide the bowler any respite and slammed Shakib over the long-on region on the fifth ball of the over, before ending the bowler’s misery with another six, this time over deep mid-wicket.