Top 10 hardest hitters in cricket currently

With the advent of T20 cricket, the game has become all about powerful bats and clearing the boundaries these days. Six-hitting has become a familiar sight, courtesy of players who use all kinds of shots to send the ball out of the field.Here is a list of the 10 best and cleanest strikers of the cricket ball at present, who are able to hit the longest hits on any ground in the world.Note: The list is generated considering the players’ reputation to clear the boundary easily.Special mention:Virender Sehwag – In his heydays, Sehwag was the cleanest striker of the ball. Lack of footwork didn’t matter as his hand-eye coordination was one of the best in world cricket. His upper cut against the fiery pace of Shoaib Akhtar in the 2003 World Cup is one which comes to mind. Against spinners, he was particularly brutal, able to clear grounds at ease.Alex Hales – Standing tall at 6 feet 5 inches, Alex Hales is among the rare breed of English batsmen who can be brutal hitters. With a tall build and long limbs, he generates immense power and his swing of the bat is able to clear any boundary in the world. England’s only centurion in T20I narrowly misses out on the top 10.

#10 David Warner

The opener from Australia is someone who sets the tone for the rest of the innings by breaking apart bowling attacks in powerplays. Even in the middle overs, he dictates play like no other and dominates the game.

The left-hander has exhibited great amount of consistency as well as aggression. Warner is a great athlete and with his brutal force, is able to hit some amazing shtos. But nothing comes close to the power he exhibits while hitting the switch hits, and without a doubt, plays that shot the best in the world.

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#9 Yusuf Pathan

The Indian may be someone who can not be termed as a consistant performer and his numbers confirm the same. Yet, the right-hander from Baroda often turns on the heat with powerful, calculated hits lower down the order.

The fact that he has smashes sixes for fun when he is on song, consolidates his position in the list. Batting with freedom, the player goes about his business in sixes when he launches on the opposition. Simply has too much power in his shoulders that enables him to come into the party.

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#8 Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum is a powerful man. Those bulging biceps are capable of putting such power behind the shots that balls race past the fielders in a flash. When he hits them big, they stay hit. McCullum’s sixes are a treat to watch as they sail high over the ropes.

#7 David Miller

The South African limited overs specialist is growing in reputation as one of the best finishers in world cricket with his consistent batting displays. Not someone who loses his head altogether at the sight of a bad delivery, but will find a way to score a massive six out of no where.

His contributions for Kings XI Punjab have bailed the side out more often that not. Is the clean hitter and can send the ball a long, long way with his shots.

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#6 Darren Sammy

The Caribbean cricketer’s six-hitting abilities at the death are often a bit underrated considering his exploits for West Indies in the last two years. True, he is not gifted with the best of techniques, still he uses his strengths well to extract the maximum from the slog overs.

With a strike rate of 209.40 from 15 innings in the last two years for West Indies, Sammy is refusably one of the best six-hitters in T20s at the moment. Lack of big scores damages his profile a bit.

#5 Shahid Afridi

The Pakistani has an infamous repuation of getting out without scoring, but is still one of the most feared batsmen in the shorter formats of the game. With a healthy strike rate of 148.16 in T20 international matches since 2012, Afridi puts his name in the mix to be one of the powerful T20 batsman.

He always bats like he wants to score a six off every ball he faces and the same plots his downfall. Yet, when he middles it, the fielders at the boundary can only watch the ball sail over their heads.

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#4 Kieron Pollard

The West Indian powerhouse is indeed a bit off colored in recent times, but there is no denying what he is capable of. On his day, the Mumbai Indians’ star will single handedly win games with his lusty blows lower down the order.

His recent poor record hasn’t really hampered his reputation a bit to clear the stands and hence could be placed at No.4 in the list. Even a mishit from his blade will travel a mile.

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#3 Glenn Maxwell

The Australian middle order batsman is regarded as the most destructive hitter in world cricket at the moment for his ability to get going from the word go. The right-hander is reknowned for his high risk shots that he executes more frequently. Be it any kind of wicket, whoever the bowler may be, Maxwell bats in his own way and hence earned the reputation of power hitter.

A spectacular run of form in the early part of IPL 2014, that involves three scores in the 90s and an 89 at a strike rate in excess of 200 highlights his potential. Notably, the player blasted 36 sixes in the tournament – the season’s highest. For Australia, he has 20 sixes from 14 innings to show for since 2012.

#2 Mahendra Singh Dhoni

The Indian captain may surprsingly be well below his standards in T20Is. However, when he turns up for the Chennai Super Kings, there is no stopping him from wrecking havoc. If Dhoni decides to go after the bowler, he gives all his energy into the swing and generates immense power from his strong bottom hands.

Once he picks the length early, you would often find the ball end up in the second tier of the stands and even beyond.

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#1 Chris Gayle

When you think of Gayle, you think of power. The highest run-scorer in Twenty-20 history, is currently not in the best of touches considering his failures for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2014. Not withstanding his comparatively slow strike rate since 2012 for West Indies, the fierce left-hander’s potential to clear the ropes with minimal effort enables him to top the list without any difficulty.

Notably, he scored a brilliant ton (111* off 63) in the last edition of Caribbean Premier League (CPL) including 10 sixes that proves that he can still strike it big even at the age of 35.

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Edited by Staff Editor