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T20 cricket has revolutionized the way cricket is played and looked at. But if there’s one thing that T20 cricket has certainly improved, it is definitely the six-hitting abilities of the cricketers. Batsmen have become powerful with the advent of T20 cricket. While the shorter boundaries and big bats have helped to an extent, the skill and power still needs to be there for a player to clear the fence.
The fans simply love watching the big hits and T20 cricket is more often than not defined by those big shots which clear the rope. Today, power-hitting is certainly one of the most vital components in the limited-overs game, especially T20 cricket. One can barely see a T20 game without sixes and there are certain batsmen who simply love clearing the ropes.
Hence, here we look back at some of the players who have the most sixes per innings ratio in T20 Internationals.
Note – Minimum of 20 innings
#5 Shane Watson
83 sixes in 56 innings (1.48)
Shane Watson may not look the most eye-catching player but he possessed some brute power. And on his day, he could smash the opposition bowlers with ease and take the game away in no time.
Watson had a very successful career for Australia and finished as one of the best all-rounders to have donned the Australia shirt, especially in white-ball cricket. He played over 300 international games and scored over 10,000 runs across formats. He had an excellent knack of breaking partnerships as well and was a very effective bowler. The Queenslander took close to 300 wickets in international cricket.
One quality of Watson was that he could belt the bowling around and clear the ground with ease. He had this knack of hitting sixes effortlessly. In 56 T20I innings, the pace-bowling all-rounder struck 83 sixes which makes him the fifth on the list of batsmen with the most sixes per innings.
#4 KL Rahul
41 sixes in 24 innings (1.70)
This is one name you probably don’t expect in this list. KL Rahul is not known for his six-hitting ability but he features in this list of batsmen with most sixes per innings at the fourth position. He might not have had the best of times in the other two formats and has blown hot and cold. But KL Rahul, the T20 batsman has been phenomenal.
In fact, he averages 43.95 in the shortest format and is third on the list of best averages in T20Is (minimum of 20 innings) behind Virat Kohli (50.28) and Babar Azam (53.72). However, Rahul has a better strike-rate (149.23) than both of them. Time and again, he has proved his ability in the shortest format. He is one of the only two batsmen who have scored two T20I centuries while chasing.
The Karnataka opener might’ve played only 24 innings till date, but he’s already struck 41 sixes. This puts him fourth on this list with sixes per innings ratio of 1.70.
#3 Colin Munro
92 sixes in 49 innings (1.88)
Colin Munro is another player who loves the T20 format. He might not be at his best in 50-over cricket but he seems to be a beast in the shortest format. The Kiwi left-hander is one of the only three players who have scored three T20I centuries (Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell being the other two). He is a player who loves to take the attack to the opposition early and has the ability to turn games on its head very early on in the innings.
In 49 T20I innings, Munro has scored 1411 runs at an average of 33.59 and a strike-rate of 161.99. In these, the left-handed opener has struck 92 sixes and is fourth on the list of most sixes by a batsman in T20Is. Also, his sixes per innings ratio of 1.88 is one of the best as it occupies the third slot in this list.
#2 Chris Gayle
103 sixes in 52 innings (1.98)
Which list of sixes is complete without the name Christopher Henry Gayle? It’s no surprise that the big Jamaican makes this list but the only surprise would be that he is on No. 2 and not No. 1. Chris Gayle is one of the most destructive batsmen in T20 cricket and will arguably go down as one of the greatest players of the shortest format.
The big Jamaican has scored over 1600 runs in T20Is, scoring 13 fifties and 2 hundreds. But it is his six-hitting ability that makes him special. He can tonk the ball miles and can dent the bowler’s confidence within minutes. The 103 sixes that he hit in the shortest format are the joint most by a batsman in T20Is. But it’s his sixes per innings ratio which makes him stand out. That ratio is 1.98 and is the second best.
#1 Evin Lewis
54 sixes in 20 innings (2.70)
Chris Gayle’s teammate Evin Lewis is the best six-hitters in the world at the moment. He may not be as powerful or largely built like Gayle and the other West Indian players, but Lewis can strike the ball a long way. He has played just 20 T20Is and has already scored a couple of hundreds, both coming against India.
The left-handed Trinidad opener has amassed 637 runs so far in his T20I career at an average of 33.52 and a strike-rate of 163.75 and has struck 54 sixes in the process. He has opened the batting with Gayle on a few occasions and has completely overshadowed the big man. Hence, Lewis seems a very special talent and can hit sixes at will. At the moment, he is the best six-hitter as he has the best sixes per innings ratio – 2.70.
