12 WIDES! Ex-Aussie quick melts down with ‘one of the longest overs in cricket history’

Former Australian pace bowler John Hastings delivered one of the worst overs ever in cricket as Australia were thrashed by Pakistan by ten wickets in a World Championship of Legends T20 match in England.

Hastings, who played one Test and 38 white-ball internationals for Australia, bowled 12 wides and a no-ball in an over that never actually reached six legal deliveries.

Australian captain Brett Lee threw the ball to Hastings in the eighth over of Pakistan’s run chase - after Australia were bowled out for only 74 in 11.5 overs with only Ben Dunk (26), extras (11) and Callum Ferguson (10) reaching double figures - and Hastings began with five consecutive wides on the off side.

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The 39-year-old followed that up with two legal deliveries, a single cut to deep point and a four down the ground, before over stepping for a no ball, which would have been a wide anyway so it went high and down the leg side.

The resulting free hit was initially another wide, again high and down leg, before conceding one leg bye after changing to bowling around the wicket to the left-handed Sharjeel Khan.

Another wide followed, again way outside right-hander Sohaib Maqsood’s off stump, then two more legal deliveries, a dot ball that may have been a wide if not for a mistimed cut shot and a single to deep square leg, before another five straight wides handed Pakistan the victory.

The first three of which all sailed down the leg side from around the wicket to Khan, before switching to over the wicket and sending the last two almost off the pitch outside off stump.

Pakistan openers Khan (32*) and Maqsood (28*) could not believe their eyes, nor could Lee and the rest of the Australians at Leicester’s Grace Road ground, as Hastings struggled to keep the ball on the cut stuff.

The over was 18 balls long, with only five of them being legal, and conceded 19 runs.

Despite the terrible loss, Australia will face South Africa, captained by AB de Villiers, in a semi-final in the early hours of Friday morning AEST.

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