Top five players with most sixes in T20I cricket

Rohit Sharma leads the list
Rohit Sharma leads the list

Recently, star Indian batsman Rohit Sharma broke the record for most sixes in international T20s by surpassing the 'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle's tally of 105 sixes. In this era of T20 cricket, it is no longer surprising that batsmen are able to hit these many sixes. However, it wasn't always like this as sixes were a scarce phenomenon.

15-20 years ago, sixes were unique and really tough to score. With big boundaries and thin willows, batsmen mostly found it very difficult to get a maximum. It was the advent of T20 cricket around 2002-03 that changed everything with regards to six-hitting. Batsmen began to work harder in the gym, boundary ropes were pulled in and mammoth bats became a common feature.

Also, the rise of various T20 leagues like Indian Premier League, Big Bash League and Caribbean Premier League have helped in the development and knowledge transfer of players. All these aspects and constantly evolving big-hitting techniques have helped batsmen score sixes with ease. Here is a look at five players who have hit the most number of sixes in international T20s.


#5 Brendon McCullum- 91 Sixes

Brendon McCullum played for the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League earlier this year
Brendon McCullum played for the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League earlier this year

One of the early superstars in the shortest format of cricket, Brendon McCullum's presence in this list shouldn't surprise anyone. Who can ever forget his monumental 158* in the opening fixture of the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League in 2008?

The number of sixes in that scorcher of a knock gave us a glimpse of how destructive he was in this format. Apart from that mammoth hundred in the IPL, he also has two centuries to his name in international T20Is against Australia and Bangladesh. In fact, McCullum's century against Australia was the second-ever hundred in international T20s.

For fans around the world, it was the former Kiwi captain's uninhibited aggression with the bat that stood out. Even against some of the world's quickest bowlers, McCullum used to dance down the wicket and smash the ball straight into the sight screens.

Apart from being the fifth-highest six-hitter, the 37-year-old also occupies the fifth spot in the list for most runs in international T20s with 2140 runs in 71 matches.

#4. Colin Munro- 92 Sixes

New Zealand's Colin Munro going hard with a cut shot against Pakistan in the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2019
New Zealand's Colin Munro going hard with a cut shot against Pakistan in the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

Colin Munro is yet another thrill to bits batsman who is known as one of the most destructive cricketers in the world. His strike-rate of 161.99 which is the highest among the Top Five Six-hitters, only goes onto give more validation to that opinion.

Munro tends to favour the leg-side and hits a lot of sixes in the cow-corner region through his powerful slogs. In the past 18 months, the 32-year-old has had a whirlwind time in the T20 format. He scored the fastest T20 hundred by a New Zealander with his 47-ball century against West Indies at Mount Maunganui in January 2018.

This effort also helped him to become the first-ever cricketer to score three hundreds in T20I cricket before Rohit Sharma bettered the record by scoring four centuries.

#3. Martin Guptill- 103 Sixes

Martin Guptill looking to take advantage of the field restrictions during the ICC Cricket World Cup Final 2019
Martin Guptill looking to take advantage of the field restrictions during the ICC Cricket World Cup Final 2019

Yet another Kiwi, yet another blazing T20 opener. The only thing that differentiates Martin Guptill from his compatriots Brendon McCullum and Colin Munro is the fact that he is more of a traditional player. Also, unlike his compatriots, Guptill is more known for his exploits in international matches and not T20 leagues around the world.

Guptill is well-known for his ability to hit towering sixes through the 'V' region, down the ground with a straight bat. Guptill is both the leading run-scorer and six-hitter amongst New Zealanders in this format.

For a period of time, Guptill and McCullum were the only two batsmen in the world to have scored two centuries and amassed 2000 runs in T20 internationals.

At the moment, the 32-year-old is four shorof the record for most sixes in international T20s. The right-handed batsmen will get a chance to add to his tallly when New Zealand play Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series in September.

#2 Chris Gayle- 105 sixes

Chris Gayle bid adieu to his 50-over World Cup career after the game against Afghanistan
Chris Gayle bid adieu to his 50-over World Cup career after the game against Afghanistan

Christopher Henry Gayle is an entertainer in every sense of the word. Gayle, after he scored the first-ever century in T20I cricket hasn't looked back since that and has, in fact, become an icon of the format. He has become synonymous with the terms of T20 cricket and six-hitting around the world.

Gayle hits some of the biggest sixes with an incredible consistency level against all kinds of bowlers, pitches and situations of the game. Whenever Gayle is part of a T20 team/franchise, he is invariably the most prized wicket for a bowling unit.

He has managed to score an incredible 21 centuries in his overall T20 (International+Domestic) career with a highest score of 175* against Pune Warriors while representing the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.

The 39-year-old's speciality lies in the fact that he is still one of the most sought after players in T20 cricket. He has managed to adapt and find new ways of smashing sixes even when bowlers have tried to stay away from his hitting range. However, new ways don't necessarily mean unorthodox shots like Dilscoops, and reverse sweeps as he relies on his muscle power to hit massive sixes down the ground.

Now, at the fag end of his career, Gayle will retire as arguably the most celebrated cricketer to have played in this format.

#1 Rohit Sharma- 107 Sixes

Rohit Sharma employing his trademark pull shot against Bangladesh in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019
Rohit Sharma employing his trademark pull shot against Bangladesh in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

Highest run-scorer in the 2019 World Cup, most centuries by a batsman in T20I cricket, most runs in T20I history, most sixes in T20I history. The one name behind of all these records, Rohit Sharma has enjoyed a tremendous run in the last few months.

One has to say that the 32-year-old has elevated his game to a a different level altogether. His purple patch has been so good that he turned out to be one of the rare batsmen who found it relatively easy to score on a tough wicket at Lauderhill, Florida in the ongoing T20I series against the West Indies.

It was in the second T20I that Rohit surpassed Chris Gayle as the batsman with most sixes in T20I cricket.

While the Mumbai-batsman has always been a good T20 cricketer, it was the move to try him out as an opener that completely changed Rohit's career in both ODIs and T20Is. He has an innate ability to make six-hitting look effortless with his classy pull shots and lofted cover drives.

When Rohit settles down in his inning, it is very difficult to stop him from getting a big score and that is reflected in the fact that he has four T20I centuries.

With him still having at least 4-5 years left at the highest level, it wouldn't be surprising if Rohit Sharma continues to hold this record for a long time

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Edited by Prasen Moudgal