India's Yuvraj Singh plays a shot for six runs against England during their Twenty20 World Championship match in Durban yesterday. - AP

DURBAN, South Africa (Reuters):

INDIAN BATSMAN Yuvraj Singh smashed six sixes in an over against England in their Twenty20 World Cup match yesterday.

Yuvraj belted fast bowler Stuart Broad for 36 runs in the 19th over to become the first player to achieve the mark in the shortest form of cricket.

The luckless Broad saw his deliveries disappear over the mid-wicket boundary twice, over backward square leg, extra cover, backward point and wide mid-on.

Yuvraj's fireworks steered India, who amassed 218 for four, to an 18-run win. The result kept alive India's chances of reaching the semi-finals while winless England were eliminated earlier in the day when South Africa defeated New Zealand.

On a record-breaking day, Yuvraj also scored the fastest half century in Twenty20, needing just 12 balls.

Asked what his tactics had been for the game, Yuvraj joked: "Just go out there and slog. With two overs to go and wickets in hand, I thought I would use the crease. I was moving around the crease and timing it well."

Score to settle

Yuvraj admitted he also had a score to settle against England after he had been hit for five sixes in an over by Dimitri Mascarenhas in a one-dayer at The Oval earlier this month.

"The amount of phone calls I got after that - I don't get as many when I score a hundred," he said. "I thought, this isn't fair, give me a chance, and I got that chance."

Yuvraj was eventually dismissed for 58, with Paul Collingwood taking the catch off an Andrew Flintoff delivery.

Yuvraj hit three fours and seven sixes during his entertaining knock.

"He has a lot of power so he can hit it wherever he wants, he was awesome," said teammate Virender Sehwag.

The 25-year-old became the fourth man to complete the feat at elite level. India's Ravi Shastri and West Indian Garfield Sobers had achieved the record in first-class cricket, while South African Herschelle Gibbs reached the landmark at the 50-over World Cup earlier this year.