Most Sixes in an Innings in ODI
Limited over’s cricket has witnessed quite a change in the last decade. It has seen a transition from not losing your wicket early to giving a fiery start in the powerplay overs. No total is termed as a safe total, nowadays. Teams have been able to achieve 300-plus run total quite easily.
The demand for power-hitters has increased manifold. They have the ability to turn the game on its head. Over the years, we have seen players bursting onto the scene who have some sensational hitting capabilities.
These are the very guys who can clear the boundary with unerring ease. If these power-hitters get going, they take the game from the opposition real quick. In the last decade or so, we have seen a lot more sixes being hit than before. Players don’t fear taking the opposition right from the onset.
In this article, we look at most sixes in an innings in IPL:
#5. Shane Watson (15 Sixes)
Shane Watson is hailed as one of the best all-rounders ever to play the game. He played for Australia actively in all three formats. He played one of the best innings of his ODI career against Bangladesh in 2011. The second ODI of the series saw Watson going berserk. He just ripped apart Bangladesh’s bowling attack.
In pursuit of a 230-run target, Watson played an unbeaten 185-run knock off just 96 balls and thereby helped his team chase down the total in just 26 overs. Watson hit 15 sixes en-route to his special knock. It still stands as the fifth most number of sixes hit in an innings.
#4 Chris Gayle (16 Sixes)
Talking about sixes and not mentioning the name of Chris Gayle isn’t possible. A match will be etched in the hearts of every cricket lover, Chris Gayle played the best knock of his career against Zimbabwe in the 15th match of ICC 2015 World Cup. Batting first, he was involved in a record 372-run partnership with Marlon Samuels for the second wicket.
The southpaw notched his first double-century of his career and with that, he also became the first non-Indian to achieve the feat. He hit as many as 16 sixes en-route to his 215 off 147 balls.
#3 AB de Villiers (16 Sixes)
Remember when South Africa posted the then highest total in ODI against West Indies. AB de Villiers‘ 149-run knock was one to savour. Before that, Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla set the foundation for a huge total.
Hashim Amla scored 153 runs off just 142 balls, while Rossouw notched 128 off 115 balls. However, the knock which won everyone’s heart was de Villier’s 44-ball carnage. Playing just 44 deliveries, AB de Villiers scored 149 runs at a strike rate of 338.63. AB de Villiers hit as many as 16 sixes during his knock. South Africa, eventually, won that game by 148runs.
#2 Rohit Sharma (16 Sixes)
It’s hard to come across anyone who plays the pull shot as elegantly as Rohit Sharma. The vice-captain of India’s limited over’s side, Rohit Sharma has three double-centuries to his name. In the seventh ODI against Australia in 2013, Rohit Sharma notched the first double-century of his career. He took some time initially, but once got set, there was no stopping he Hitman. Sharma scored 16 sixes en-route to a masterclass knock of 209 runs off 158 balls. His knock helped India score a mammoth total of 383 runs in 50 overs.
Australia, in reply, managed to score 326 runs in the second innings, thereby handing 57-victory to the hosts. Rohit Sharma has made 224 ODI appearances so far in his ODI career, amassing 9115 runs at an average of 49.3. Rohit Sharma holds the record for hitting the second most number of sixes in ODI inning.
#1 Eoin Morgan (17 Sixes)
Eoin Morgan holds the record for hitting the most number of sixes in an inning. He recorded the feat against Afghanistan in the 2019 ICC World Cup. Coming in at number four, the English skipper played an outstanding knock of 184 runs of 71 balls before Gulbadin Naib accounted for his wicket in the 47th over of the inning. Morgan’s sensational knock included as many as 17 sixes and only 4 fours.
