Kerala Cricket League 2025: Salman Nizar sets world record; smashes 11 sixes off 12 legal deliveries

A mind-boggling finish was on view in the ongoing Kerala Cricket League game between Calicut and Trivandrum, held at the Greenfield Cricket Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Salman Nizar ensured a record-breaking finish to Calicut's innings from a situation that nobody could have dreamt of. Put into bat under overcast conditions, Calicut struggled for most of their innings, having lost wickets upfront on a two-paced surface. They were tottering at 115/6 after 18 overs and it looked like they would have to settle for a very paltry total for the first time this season.

Their talisman batter, Nizar, had other ideas though. He went absolute bonkers in the last two overs, as Calicut hammered a whopping 71 runs off those 12 legal deliveries. Nizar faced all of those balls, and belted 11 sixes in the process, including five in a row against senior pacer Basil Thampi in the 19th over. That penultimate over went for 31 and having kept the strike for the final over, Nizar then carted Abhijith Praveen for 40 in the final over that had a wide and a no-ball as well. It was carnage of the highest order as Trivandrum's bowlers were in a daze due to this incredible onslaught from Nizar.

71 runs scored off the last two overs is the highest-ever by any team in the last two overs of a T20 game. In terms of ball-striking and match situation, Nizar's 26-ball 86 is right up there among the best T20 knocks played by an Indian batter. For Calicut, the finish was crucial, given the up and down campaign they have endured so far in KCL 2025. A win in this fixture could push Calicut into the top-two of the points table while a defeat could put Trivandrum on the brink of elimination. The latter are currently placed at the bottom with just one win from six games.