Cricket: Taking a tally of some cricketing magic

Martin Guptill became the first batsman to hit the Cake Tin roof twice during his innings of 237 at the World Cup quarter-final against the West Indies last year. Photo / Mark Mitchell

In a tribute to last night's match at Wellington's stadium, where the roof is an enticing prospect, Andrew Alderson picks six of the game's monster whacks.

1 Albert Trott

Middlesex v Australia, 1899, Lord's

Bowler: Monty Noble

Trott, wielding a three-pound (1.3kg) club, remains the only player to clear the Lord's pavilion, an unrivalled feat.

Reports claim his whack landed on the far slope of the roof, hit a chimney pot and landed in the dressing-room attendant's garden. The man known as "Albatrott" is said to have stepped back, shaded his eyes and admired his missile launch. He described it as looking like "a pea in the air".

Extraordinarily, and this could be apocryphal, Trott only got four; the ball had to go out of the ground to get six.

2 Lance Cairns

New Zealand v Australia, 1983, MCG

Bowler: Dennis Lillee

This was Cairns' fifth of six sixes after coming to the wicket at 44 for six in a hopeless chase for 303.

Lillee, the most feared pace bowler in the world, angled the ball into Cairns' legs. Cairns gave his shoulderless Excalibur a half backlift and flailed one-handed into the line. The ball disappeared over long leg, an estimated distance of 120m, prompting Channel Nine commentator Ian Chappell to exclaim "this is unbelievable".

3 Mark Waugh

Australia v New Zealand, 1997, The Waca

Bowler: Daniel Vettori

Vettori came in nonchalantly, minding his own business. Waugh advanced nonchalantly, making the delivery his business.

He stroked it, as Waugh tended to do, on to the roof, ruffling a seagull's routine as it landed.

The shot generated excitement from the late Tony Greig in the commentary box.

"Right off the meat of the bat," he exclaimed. There was a pause in proceedings while a new ball was fetched, enabling the screen marker pen to graffiti a trajectory.

4 Garry Sobers

Nottinghamshire v Glamorgan, 1968, St Helen's

For Malcolm Andrew Nash, a man who earned the nickname "Super" because of his initials, Sobers was his Kryptonite.

The left-arm orthodox spinner became the first bowler to be hit for six sixes in an over.

The last disappeared out of the ground, prompting controversy when the ball was sold for £26,400 at a 2006 Christie's auction.

Nash claimed the ball was a Stuart Surridge brand; Christie's claimed it was a Duke.

BBC television footage shows it being returned to Nash after every six except the last. Regardless, Sobers gave it a mighty heave, hooking as the commentator described it, "all the way to Swansea".

5 Viv Richards

Somerset v Glamorgan, circa early 1980s, Taunton

Bowler: Greg Thomas

This effort was stirred by Thomas' advice that the ball was "red, round and weighs about five ounces", after beating Richards outside off stump a couple of times. "You know what it looks like. Now go and fetch it," retorted the batsman as the next delivery sailed into the River Tone.

6 Martin Guptill

New Zealand v West Indies, 2015, Wellington

Bowler: Andre Russell

In the most extraordinary ODI onslaught performed in this country, Guptill made 237 not out, batting through the World Cup quarter-final.

On 217, from the first ball of the final over, Russell served Guptill a full toss which went "over mid-wicket".

From there it hit the roof, making Guptill the first batsman to produce such a feat twice at the Cake Tin.