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Since the inception of international cricket, the sport has seen a massive transformation. The Gentleman’s game started off with the Test format which had a certain orthodox and purist way of playing the sport. As the years rolled by, cricket donned new avatars with ODI cricket making its way into top flight cricket.
The fast-paced ODI format demanded a more aggressive style of batting as teams built most of their wins around setting daunting totals. Then came along T20 cricket, which has been enthralling and entertaining. The batsmen are sent out with a mission to plunder bowling attacks to get the maximum runs from their allotted quota of 20 overs.
No matter what the format may be, six-hitting is an art which only a select few of the batsman have been able to perfect. You might have a plethora of batsman who have scored hundreds of boundaries, but six hitting requires a special skill which comes naturally to only a select few.
While the purist go straight down the ground and rely on more on timing and footwork, the modern day power hitters employ innovative stroke play to hit the best bowlers out of the park with their horizontal shot and cheeky dabs.
So let us have a look at the batsmen with the most sixes across the three formats of international cricket. Before we go through the top 10 who have made the cut a few honorable mentions who registered 200 or more sixes in international cricket.
Batsmen with 200 or more sixes in international cricket
Jaques Kallis 254
Yuvraj Singh 251
Eoin Morgan 249
Sourav Ganguly 247
Ricky Ponting 246
Shane Watson 245
Virender Sehwag 243
Chris Cairns 240
Ross Taylor 226
Brian Lara 221
Marlon Samuels 217
Viv Richards 210
David Warner 204
10. Adam Gilchrist
Arguably considered as the most destructive wicket keeper batsman to grace the game, Adam Gilchrist was an outright match winner with the willow in his hand. Be it as an ODI opener or a No. 7 in Test cricket, Gilchrist tore apart bowling attacks with his belligerent hitting.
Gilchrist’s batting revolved around razor-sharp reflexes, terrific bat swing, and clean ball striking. Pace or spin, he was equal to the task at tormenting attacks with utter disdain. His fierce cuts and pulls were as good as anyone in the game.
An entertainer to the core, the Australian legend ended up with over 250 sixes across all formats in a glittering international career.
Adam Gilchrist International Cricket Record
Matches 396 Runs 15461 Avg 38.94 100s 33 Sixes 262
Sachin Tendulkar finds his name in most of the batting records and so is the case with six hitting at the international level. The ‘Master Blaster’ who plundered the best of attacks for over two decades possessed the ability to hit the ball out of the park.
Sachin had a knack of picking the length of the bowlers early and was very often seen stepping down the crease to hit pacers for some meaty blows.
He was equally destructive against top quality spinners like Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan using his lightning-quick footwork. The world witnessed the best of Sachin’s six-hitting prowess when he scored back to back tons against Australia and Zimbabwe in the 1998 Coca Cola Champions Trophy at Sharjah.
Sachin Tendulkar
Matches 664 Runs 34357 Avg 48.52 100s Sixes 264
New Zealand's seasoned ODI opener Martin Guptill is undoubtedly one of best strikers of the cricket ball at present. Guptill combines aggression with sublime elegance. The Black Caps opener is not a brutal assaulter, but a brilliant timer of the cricket ball.
The Kiwi opener’s big six hitting looks pleasing to the eye as he doesn’t appear to be an outright slogger.
When it comes to hitting the ball with a straight bat, few come close to Guptill's prowess with the willow. He is known to score some massive sixes straight down the ground. He scores sixes with superlative consistency and has one of the best sixes per matches ratio in world cricket.
Martin Guptill
Matches 281 Runs 10833 Avg 36.97 100s 18 Sixes 274
7. Rohit Sharma
India’s belligerent ODI opener Rohit Sharma is perhaps one of the cleanest hitters of the cricket ball. Rohit makes six hitting look effortless with his sublime timing and elegant stroke play.
The talented Sharma looks to have that extra bit of time to launch into the best of bowlers. Once he gets his eye in, Rohit can torment the best of attacks with his natural ball striking.
Sharma can strike gigantic sixes owing to his timing rather than raw power. Sharma has the unique ability to hit sixes to any part of the ground. Over the years we have seen some mammoth double tons by Rohit laden with dozens of sixes.
Rohit is the joint record holder with AB De Villiers and Chris Gayle for the maximum sixes in an ODI innings.
International Record
Matches 292 Runs 10313 Avg 41.08 100s 24 Sixes 291
Call him a freak or simply a batting genius, AB De Villiers was a magician with the willow. An immensely gifted batsman, AB De Villiers could toy with the best of bowlers courtesy his versatile strokeplay.
De Villiers could unearth the most unorthodox of strokes keeping the opposition bewildered. 'ABD' had the uncanny ability of choosing his spot and striking huge sixes. His six hitting was a combination of sublime timing and a perfect hand-eye coordination.
A whirlwind 31 ball ton against West Indies, the fastest ever ton in the history of ODI cricket was an exhibition of his masterclass. Be it Test, ODIs or T20s, De Villiers was a treat to watch when he was in the mood to take batting to another level.
AB De Villiers International Record
Matches 420 Runs 20014 100s 47 Sixes 328
5. MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni has arguably been hailed as one of the best finishers of the game. The hard-hitting wicket-keeper batsman has single-handedly won India many ODIs courtesy his blistering hitting down the order.
A bottom heavy player, Dhoni, with his strong forearms and wrists, uses his immense strength to hit some lusty blows. His sixes are low and flat courtesy the power he generates from his rapid bat swing.
‘Mahi’ knows just when to accelerate and keeps his composure to take the game deep and eventually ambush the opposition. Dhoni’s much-famed helicopter shot has become his trademark six hitting weapon and a favourite among his die-hard fans.
MS Dhoni International Record
Matches 504 Runs 16409 Avg 45.07 100s 16 Sixes 342
Considered as one of the most destructive openers in cricket, Sanath Jayasuriya was one of the most lethal six hitters to have played the game. Blessed with immense hand-eye coordination, Sri Lanka’s swashbuckling opener could flay bowling attacks by consistently dispatching the ball over the park.
Jayasuriya was a strong exponent of the pull and cut and used his iron forearms to great effect in deriving his power. At times, he made six hitting look relatively easy with his trademark shot arm pull. For the most part of his career, Jayasuriya was engaged in a healthy six-hitting competition with Pakistan’s all-rounder Shahid Afridi.
The ‘Matara Mauler’ was certainly a nightmare for most opening bowlers all through the mid and late 90s.
Sanath Jayasuriya International Record
Matches 586 Runs 21032 Avg 34.14 100s 42 Sixes 352
Brendon McCullum has etched his name as New Zealand’s most destructive ODI batsman of all time. McCullum was blessed with good hand-eye coordination and nimble footwork. He used to pounce on anything short or overpitched and punished it severely.
The nimble-footed McCullum often used the chip and charge technique to came down the track and hit the seamers for some big sixes. 'Baz' was fierce puller and cutter and could produce some mind-boggling strokes square of the wicket.
As a power hitter, McCullum scored some whirlwind cameos up the order which were laced with towering sixes. His most destructive side came out in the T20 format where he had the license to play his natural game and go after the bowling from ball one.
Brendon McCullum International Record
Matches 74 Runs 14676 Avg 34.37 100s 19 Sixes 398
Pakistan’s explosive all-rounder Shahid Afridi was arguably one of the most clinical hitters of the cricket ball. Afridi with his six hitting ability brought massive crowds to cricket stadiums and kept them at the edge of their seats to witness some carnage.
The Karachi Pathan played some blinders down the order to finish off nerve-racking encounters for Pakistan.
‘Boom Boom’ Afridi had tremendous powers in those forearms of his to give the cricket ball a real swag. Afridi’s trademark six hitting style was going straight down the ground or lofting bowlers over the deep cover or mid-wicket region. The maverick all-rounder’s cameos were laden with towering sixes which seemed to touch the sky.
Across formats, Afridi scored a whopping 476 sixes which is a clear reflection of his six hitting ability. His long-standing record for most sixes in international cricket has eventually equaled by West Indian opener Chris Gayle.
Shahid Afridi International Record
Matches 524 Runs 11196 Avg 23.92 100s 11 Sixes 476
1. Chris Gayle
Talk about six hitting and the first name which comes to your mind is that of the tall and powerfully built West Indian opener Chris Gayle. The Jamaican powerhouse has earned a reputation of being one of the most brutal hitters in the history of the game.
Gayle’s six-hitting prowess is second to none and there is no ground big enough to contain the fury of the ‘Gayle Storm’ when it strikes in full force.
Gayle derives his clinical hitting from the still head position, high backlift and raw core strength. The West Indian giant has played some whirlwind innings, both in the ODIs and T20s where he has declared himself as the 'Universal Boss'.
A globe-trotter who lights up T20 leagues with his belligerent strokeplay, Gayle remains the undisputed leader when it comes to tonking huge sixes.
Gayle equaled Shahid Afridi’s record of the most sixes in international cricket and stands tall among his contemporaries in a club of exclusive six hitters.
Chris Gayle International Record
Matches 443 Runs 18548 38.56 100s 40 Sixes 476
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