Big-hitting Whiteley hoping for IPL call-up

WORCESTERSHIRE’S Ross Whiteley moved himself into cricketing folklore with his six sixes off a Karl Carver over against Yorkshire at Headingley on Sunday on his way to 65 off just 26 balls.

David Willey’s 118 off 55 balls meant his knock was ultimately in vain but Sheffield-born Whiteley, 28, then shrugged off the disappointment by hitting five more sixes in a 16-ball 42 against Notts in a 13-run victory at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.

Whiteley, below, claimed that Yorkshire wicketkeeper Peter Handscomb goaded him into opening up his shoulders against Carver.

“I knew I could target that over – he’s obviously a young lad, who slid into my arc as a left-arm spinner,” he said.

“It was a bit of a blur after I got the first two over the rope, but I do remember Handscomb was in my ear straight away about the six sixes.

“He put it in my head actually, so I’m not sure whether Carver can blame him or not! Absolutely I felt for him – it’s never nice to be on the receiving end of anything like that.

“We bumped into each other outside afterward and had a bit of a joke about it between ourselves.”

Thanks to Sunday’s fireworks, Whiteley joins Sir Garfield Sobers, Ravi Shastri, Herschelle Gibbs and Yuvraj Singh to become only the fifth man to hit six sixes in one over in toplevel cricket.

Whiteley is now hoping his pinch-hitting might be required overseas, saying: “You never know whether this might get my name out there and get me some offers to play in overseas tournaments – that’s a massive ambition of mine.

“The two big ones you look at are the IPL and the Big Bash.

“But I realise I’m not a huge name around the world in cricket just yet, so I’ll work my way up from any tournament that will have me.”