IPL 2019: 5 players who could break Albie Morkel's record of the longest six

To watch someone bat in the IPL is as interesting as a Sherlock episode and it has its own justifications as well. A T20 is a fast-moving game and hence there is very little time to settle in, particularly for someone coming in at number 4 or 5. However, we still see some scores in an excess of 200 or 180 being put up on the scoreboard and that too, consistently.

So what’s the reason behind this?

In a format as short as T20, a batsman has to back himself to hit those big ones towards the back end of the innings in order to make up for the dot balls. Settling-in is a crucial aspect of batting and even a Virat Kohli or a Chris Gayle needs to get his eye in, in order to have a real go at the bowlers.

For a finisher, however, it is always about getting a move on from the word go and their game is totally unnatural yet pleasing. We’ve seen many superstars in the past in Albie Morkel, MS Dhoni and Johan Botha but let’s talk about Albie Morkel today.

Albie holds a spectacular record of hitting the longest six in the IPL. Back in 2008, Albie smashed Pragyan Ojha for the longest six that travelled a mammoth 124 metres. While this record is here to stay it’s certainly not unbreakable by any means because of the calibre of the modern day batsmen.

Let’s have a look at 5 players who could smash a six longer than the former South African all-rounder, Albie Morkel.

Colin Munro

The 31-year-old from New Zealand is an explosive opener with a lot of muscle power at his disposal. Unlike other batsmen, Munro is relatively confident against the short-pitched deliveries and we’ve seen him dispatch them with ease. Munro has a strike rate of 162 in T20I’s and has 92 sixes to his credit from 52 innings. While he hasn’t found much success in the IPL, a meagre 9 innings don’t define the quality and explosive capabilities of the southpaw.

Munro is a part of the Delhi Capitals and with Feroz Shah Kotla being a relatively small ground, clearing the ropes won’t be much of a task for him and one can surely back him to break the 124 metres record six held by Albie Morkel.

Shimron Hetmyer

Shimron broke into the limelight with his exploits against India on Indian soil. While Hetmyer’s record in the shortest format of the game isn’t exactly sparkling, he sure has destructive capabilities for his side. This edition of the IPL will mark Shimron’s debut season and it will be for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

The surface and the dimensions of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium will suit the 22-year old’s style of play and needless to say, he’s the perfect replacement for Chris Gayle at RCB. Hetmyer can play spin well and is known to provide quick and stable starts to his team. With his power and style of play, one can back the 22-year-old from Guyana to hit a 125 metre six.

Andre Russell

This man really needs no introduction. Russell is one of the very few players who always has the game in his fingertips. Be it with the ball or the willow, the Jamaican can turn things around within the span of a few deliveries. In the last edition, it was Russell’s big-hitting that dominated his pacy bowling. Russell is a destructive finisher who can hit those straight, long sixes.

If it was his 70 odd-runs against CSK that made the headlines, this time is going to be no different. Russell delivers fireworks more often than not when he’s batting. With an impressive strike rate of 141, the 30-year-old from Jamaica will back himself to shatter the 124m six record held by the former South African all-rounder, Albie Morkel.

Hardik Pandya

Looking at the physique of Hardik Pandya, one would never think of him as a big hitter. However, the strength to those maximums comes from the back and the shoulders and Pandya does have a strong back and shoulders. Just like Munro and Hetmyer, the 25-year-old Hardik has a small ground at the Wankhede Stadium to suit his batting-style and to facilitate his big-hitting skills.

A likely contender to beat Albie’s record, Hardik should back himself to put up a show in the IPL 12 to not only break the long-standing record but to book his place in the 15-man Windies squad that will travel to England and Wales right after the IPL for the ICC World Cup 2019.

AB de Villiers

The superman from South Africa can literally do anything on the cricket field. In 2018 ABD retired from international cricket citing heavy workload but his performances in T20 leagues have gone up and it means that he’s dangerous as ever. ABD is a complete package when it comes to batsmanship and covers all parts of the ground on a consistent basis which makes it difficult to set fields for him.

The 34-year-old has the unique ability to manufacture shots out of nowhere which makes him all the more dangerous. ABD has hit some big sixes over the years and a few of them have found their way to the roof of Chinnaswamy which is a pretty tall structure.

With him striking form right before the IPL, he might just make this season his as he no longer has national duties on his shoulders which would give him a sense of freedom every time he thinks of giving his 100% on the field. If Morkel’s record is to be broken in this edition of the IPL, de Villiers is one of the best candidates to place one’s money on.

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