Top 5 South African batsmen with most ODI sixes

South Africa may have failed to shake off the tag of 'chokers' when it comes to major ICC tournaments, but they are undoubtedly one of the major forces in the sport, especially in ODI cricket.

Being frozen out of the international scene due to apartheid stole the game of many talented players from the African nation but the Proteas has produced many world-class players in the 50-over format since their readmission to the sport in 1990.

In Jacques Kallis, the Proteas can lay claim to the greatest all-rounder in the history of the game while the likes of AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla have emerged as modern legends of the game.

The Proteas have a naturally aggressive nature to their game and has been blessed with many clean strikers of the cricket ball who have earned a reputation for their big-hitting prowess.

The way Lance Klusener toyed with the opposition during the 1999 ODI World Cup is still talked about even now and as for someone like De Villiers, it is just a sheer joy to watch the talismanic figure in full flow.

Let's take a look at the list of the Top 5 South African batsmen who have managed to clear the ropes the maximum number of times during their ODI career.

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#5 Mark Boucher

Apart from his brilliant skills with the gloves, Boucher was a big hitter lower down the order

The former South African wicketkeeper-batsman was an ever-present in the side since making his ODI debut for the Proteas in 1998 up until he was forced to retire from the sport following a serious eye-injury.

He holds the world record for most dismissals in Test cricket while he is ranked third when it comes to the 50-over format.

Apart from his world-class skills with the gloves, Boucher was also an accomplished batsman who provided impetus to the South African lower order with his big-hitting skills.

Boucher scored 4686 runs from 295 matches with a strike rate of just under 85 and scored as many as 82 sixes during his illustrious career.

10 of those came during his unbelievable undefeated knock of 147 off just 68 balls against Zimbabwe at Potchefstroom on September 20, 2006, which incidentally also happens to be Boucher's one and only ODI century.

#4 Hansie Cronje

Cronje was am effective all-rounder in the 50-over format for South Africa

The former South African skipper, whose career will forever remain shrouded in the infamous match-fixing controversy was one of the highly-regarded captains in the game's history and was a well-accomplished all-rounder as well with a shrewd cricketing brain.

A member of the first post-apartheid South African side in both ODIs and Tests, Cronje grew in stature as a player before taking on the reigns of captaincy in a very successful fashion.

He was a true all-rounder, picking up 114 wickets at 34.78 with an economy rate of 4.44 and also took 72 catches in 188 ODIs.

As a batsman, Cronje knew how to build an innings but was a powerful hitter as well, hitting 94 sixes in his run tally of 5565 runs, averaging a six, every two games.

#3 Herschelle Gibbs

Gibbs will forever be remembered for his 175 against Australia during the record-breaking run chase

One of the most destructive opening batsmen in the game's history, Herschelle Gibbs was a joy to watch when he got going, especially considering the ease with which the right-hander could clear the ropes.

Consistency was something that plagued Gibbs throughout his career, and something which prevented him from becoming a truly great batsman.

He was tailor-made for the shorter formats of the game but with an average of above 41 from 90 Tests, Gibbs proved that even an aggressive approach could work out well in the longest format of the game.

In ODIs, Gibbs scored 8094 runs from 248 matches at an average of 36.13, which included 128 hits over the fence.

His best inning has to be the 175 against Australia in that record-breaking match at Johannesburg in 2006 - a knock which included seven 6s.

#2 Jacques Kallis

Kallis' batting was a mix of class and brute power

One of the greatest players in the game's history, Jacques Kallis was an absolute legend of the game who fit the all-rounder tag to the fullest.

An accomplished top-order batsman, an effective medium pacer and a reliable fielder in the slips, Kallis proved to be the master of all trades in all formats of the game.

The only South African and one of only seven players to achieve the feat of scoring more than 10000 runs in both Test and ODI cricket, Kallis played the role of consolidating the scoring at the top of the innings yet had the ability to clear the ropes with ease owing to his brute power.

Kallis scored 11579 runs from 328 ODIs at an average of 44.36, with 137 sixes to his name. Only Ricky Ponting has faced more deliveries than Kallis in ODIs and the sheer longevity of the South African's international career meant that he was bound to feature high in this particular list.

#1 AB de Villiers

De Villiers hit 16 sixes during his knock of 149 from just 44 balls against West Indies

AB de Villiers - Cricket's global superstar - is one player who is loved by every fanatic of the sport no matter which nation he belongs to or supports.

Affectionately hailed as Mr 360, as there is hardly a shot in the book that he cannot play, De Villiers can hurt the opposition pretty bad once he gets going as boundaries start flowing freely to all corners of the ground.

His ability to clear the topes is even more remarkable as his record of 204 sixes from just 227 matches prove. What also needs to be considered is the level of consistency that De Villiers has shown, scoring 9541 runs at an average of just under 54.

Along with Rohit Sharma and Chris Gayle, De Villiers holds the record for most sixes scored in an ODI inning (16) - a feat he achieved during his record-breaking knock of 149 runs from just 44 balls - the fastest ODI century in history.

He currently features at the Number 5 spot in the overall list for ODI players with maximum sixes to their name, fast catching up with India's MS Dhoni.