Cricket World Cup History: 4 Batsmen with most sixes in the tournament

We have just crossed the halfway stage of the 12th edition of ICC Cricket World Cup. Though there were few one-sided contests at the start of the tournament, the competition is almost evenly poised now after England’s defeat to Sri Lanka. The game between New Zealand and West Indies will go down as one of the best encounters in the tournament history.

In the ongoing World Cup, the batsmen have hit more than 240 sixes. Currently, England’s Eoin Morgan leads the chart with 22 sixes. In particular, Morgan hit 17 of those sixes in a single innings against Afghanistan. Besides, his feat of 17 sixes is the most by any batsman in an ODI innings.

Now, let us look at four batsmen who have managed to deposit the ball over the ropes for the most number of times in the World Cup history.

Note: Stats till Match 29 of ICC World Cup 2019 are considered.

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#4 Brendon McCullum (29)

Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum, the former New Zealand captain, is arguably one of the best batsmen in the history of New Zealand cricket. His aggressive batting approach and acrobatic fielding skills made him one of the best limited-overs cricketers to have ever played the game. Besides, his bold captaincy approach is one of the primary reasons behind the resurgence of New Zealand during the 2015 World Cup.

Though McCullum’s overall International numbers are good, his World Cup stats are not good. In 27 World Cup innings, McCullum managed to score only 742 runs with a solitary century and six half-centuries. However, his strike rate of 120.84 is the best in the competition’s history (minimum of 12 innings).

McCullum is one among those batsmen who loves to attack from ball one, which is evident from his strike rate. He even holds the record for the fastest fifty (18 balls) in the World Cup history. In fact, McCullum’s name is repeated four times in the ‘Top 10 Fastest Fifties’ list. Hence, it is not a surprising fact that McCullum has managed to clear the rope 29 times in his 27 World Cup innings.

#3 Ricky Ponting (31)

Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting, the former Australian skipper, is one of the prolific performers in the World Cup history. In 46 matches, Ponting has scored 1743 runs with five centuries and six half-centuries. His blistering knock of 140 from 121 deliveries against India in 2003 final is regarded as one of the best innings in the World Cup finals history.

In his 42 innings, Ponting has smashed 31 maximums and sits third in the overall list. Besides, he holds several records in the history of World Cup such as most appearances, most catches, and the most number of World Cup trophies.

Apart from his batting and excellent fielding skills, his captaincy record is also awe-inspiring at the big stage. Under his captaincy, Australia has just lost 2 out of their 29 matches. Besides, Ponting is the only captain after Clive Lloyd of West Indies to win two consecutive World Cup tournaments without losing a single game.

#2 AB de Villiers (37)

AB de Villiers

With just a year left for the World Cup 2019, AB de Villiers shocked the entire cricketing fraternity by announcing his immediate retirement from International cricket. The aftermath of his retirement is enormous such that South Africa is still feeling the impact. With South Africa performing well below their standards in this year’s World Cup, the story of ‘AB’s Retirement U-turn’ added fuel to the fire.

Irrespective of his controversial decision to retire from International cricket, AB de Villiers is still one among the legendary players to play this beautiful game. In his 23 World Cup games, AB de Villiers has scored 1207 runs with four centuries and six half-centuries.

With a strike rate of 117.29, de Villiers can torment any bowling line-up on his day. His blitzkrieg knock of 162 runs from just 66 balls against West Indies in the 2015 World Cup is a testament to that. Hence, it is not surprising that AB de Villiers has cleared the fence 37 times in his 22 World Cup innings.

#1 Chris Gayle (47)

Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle, the Universe Boss, is the only active cricketer in this list. Aged 39, the big Jamaican is still a significant threat to the opposition bowlers. Even in the thrilling encounter against New Zealand, Gayle scored 87 runs from 84 balls with six huge sixes.

In his 32 World Cup matches, Gayle has scored 1138 runs with two centuries and six half-centuries. In the last edition of World Cup, Gayle scored his first double hundred by smashing 215 runs against Zimbabwe. In the process, he became the first player to score a double century in the World Cup.

In the 2015 World Cup alone, Gayle has smashed 26 sixes in just six innings. Overall, Gayle has blasted 47 sixes in his 31 World Cup innings. Unlike the other batsmen, even a mishit from Gayle has landed beyond the ropes most of the time. As quoted by Harsha Bhogle once, six and four indeed seems to have become the binary code for Chris Gayle.