Hitting a six out of the park is not about the brutal strength or timing the ball to the perfection, it is a display of courage, mental strength and audacity to take on the opposition single-handedly. It is about playing fire with fire.
A six eases the pressure, giving the batsman time to execute the batting strategy. A bowler is on the back foot after being hit for a six and bowls lose deliveries making it for the batsman. A Six breaks the bowler’s rhythm and concentration, making him try different variations. As the proverb goes “The best form of defense is to attack”.
An aggressive approach is a need of the hour to mushroom to different horizons. The cricket needs swashbuckler’s superstars. The dream of becoming an Olympic sport can be fulfilled by making the game entertaining, global and short.
Here is a list of top 10 batsmen, who not only hit most sixes in international cricket but establish themselves as the most feared butchers of world cricket.
#10 Ross Taylor (2006-2020)
New Zealand veteran Ross Taylor achieved a huge milestone in international cricket when he took the field on Day 1 of the first Test against India at February 21, 2020, Wellington on Friday. The right-hander, who is playing his 100th Test, became the first cricketer in history to play 100 games in all three formats.
He was equally good on the front foot and back foot and dispatched the ball to the boundary like a bullet train. His willow blade swing tore the bowlers into the pieces. He won so many test matches and one-dayers single-handedly for kiwis. He played 433 matches (including tests, one-dayers and T20’s) for his country and has hit 269 sixes in total.
#9 Martin Guptill (2009-2020)
There are two kinds of aggressive batsmen in the world. First, the ones who slog, the others who time the ball. Martin Guptill swing of the bat reminds of Rory Mcllroy golf swing clearing the stadium easily. When he gets going, the going gets tough for the bowlers. The ball is dispatched to the skiers. The opposition will need an air hostess to catch the ball in the air.
Who could forget the day, when the kiwi batsman scored a blistering 200 run knock in the 2015 World Cup, which is also a highest individual score in World Cup history. During the innings he hit 11 towering sixes, making the mockery of the West Indies team. Martin Guptill has played 318 matches till date and has hit 318 sixes securing his 8th position in the list of a batsman with most sixes. It is not just sheer flamboyance for a short period, he hit sixes on a consistent basis and converting those dashing starts into big innings. He is among the few players to have scored a century against all tests playing nation.
#8 Eion Morgan (2006-2020)
England skipper made history when the Eoin Morgan records most number of sixes in a single ODI. England skipper Eoin Morgan scripted history as he recorded 17 sixes in a match against Afghanistan in last year ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. These sixes mark the most number of sixes scored by a single batsman in an ODI.
Eion Morgan has played 341 matches till date and has hit 322 sixes securing his 8th position in the list of a batsman with maximum sixes.
#7 Ab De Villiers (2004-2019)
Spectators call him Mr. 360, legends call him batting genius, and contemporaries call him superhuman. Can you guess his name? Yes, you got it right. He is none other than Ab De Villiers.
His unimaginable innovative heroics remind fans of Harry Potter with a stick. The maverick produces magical batting spells, leaving the bowler spellbound. Once Akash Chopra said, “I demand a DNA test of Ab De Villiers, this game is only for humans”.
He is celebrated for his out of the box sixes, completely taking fielders out of the game. He can hit the sixes on the front foot, back foot, dancing down the ground, sweeping, reverse sweeping, scoop six, uppercut, pull, hook. Impossible word is not in the dictionary of Ab De Villiers. He has hit 328 sixes in the 420 matches he played before announcing the retirement.
#6 Sanath Jayasurya (1989-2011)
Sanath Jayasurya was the first batsman along with Romesh Kaluwitharana to revolutionize the one day cricket, making it more entertaining and appealing to the eyes of the fans. Sanath Jayasurya was blessed with extraordinary hand and eye coordination.
He was the master of playing the cut and short pull shot with ease and dispatched the bowler to all parts of the ground. There was no stopping to the Matara Mauler, he would rain sixes at will. When people wrote him off in 2008, he came back with a bang in the IPL. He crushed the balls to the stands on a regular basis. In the absence of Sachin, he cruised the ship and the third-leading scorer in the first edition of IPL.
He has hit 352 sixes in the 586 matches he played during his blazing 22 years career.
Some call him the best finisher the game has ever seen, some call him the greatest cricket captain, but only a few remember how the player started off his career.
#5 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (2004-2019)
Mahendra Singh Dhoni started his career as a high voltage aggressive batsman, who could tear the ball with his bat speed. He achieved the title of “The Demolisher” by his arch-rivals for his breathtaking batting. When he batted, sixes rained. His helicopter shot hit some lusty blows, giving a rapid score boost to the team. He hit low and flat sixes due to strong forearms and wrists, leaving the bowler clueless on most of the occasions.
He loves finishing the game with a six in the last over of the match. He played like a real-time player in the cricket video game. Just click the key and six is hit. He has hit 359 sixes in the 524 matches he played till date. He still has a lot of cricket left in him, get ready to witness showering sixes in the upcoming years.
#4 Brendon McCullum (2002-2016)
Brendon McCullum will never be remembered for the juggernaut statistics but will be remembered for his contribution as an impact player, who could turn the game on his own.
Even after retirement, he still holds the record for fastest hundred in test cricket. He was renowned as a dasher, but he was in a red hot form during the first edition of IPL. He scored 158 runs with the help of 11 skyrocketing sixes, off just 73 deliveries.
His six-hitting ability made him the only 16th cricketer to score two centuries in T20 cricket. He has hit 398 sixes in 432 matches he played from 2002- 2016.
#3 Rohit Sharma (2007-2020)
Rohit Sharma aka Hitman makes it to the number seven in the list. The Mumbai rocker has the gift of hitting sixes effortlessly, the ball just hitting the spot of the willow making it pleasing to the eyes and ears.
He is a sweet timer of the ball when he gets going, the bowlers have to hide behind the bush. The maverick has so much extra time to spot the ball and time it to perfection. He holds the record of hitting the most number of double tons in the ODI history. Rohit Sharma, AB De Villiers and Chris Gayle jointly hold the record of hitting most sixes (16) in an innings.
Rohit does his bulk scoring by hitting massive sixes. His six-hitting percentage is just right at the top along with other sixer kings. He has hit 423 sixes in the 364 matches he played till date.
#2 Shahid Afridi (1996-2018)
When it comes to hitting sixes, Shahid Afridi is the universal boss of brutal batting. He is unpredictable and can change the face of the game within half an hour. Before Ab De Villiers century of just 31 balls, the record for the fastest century belonged to him.
He is nicknamed Boom Boom Afridi by his fans, Lala by his contemporaries and Pathan by the rivals. His favourite opposition is India, there was a saying “If Shahid Afridi is out of form, make him play against the Indians and soon the volcano will erupt”.
He still holds the record of hitting the second and third fastest century. He has hit 476 sixes in 524 matches he played from 1996-2018. Although, the modern great has retired from international cricket, but has a habit of making a comeback from time to time.
#1 Chris Gayle (1999-2019)
Here comes the king of T20 cricket, the Jamaican superhero and the brutal butcher of a cricket ball. Still clueless, it is none other than Chris Gayle. No matter, what the format is, what the conditions are, he can easily clear any ground in the world. The world calls him the Gayle storm. He has won so many matches single-handedly in all formats of the game.
He surpassed the record of Shahid Afridi for the most number of sixes in cricket history. With Shahid Afridi already retired from all formats of cricket. Now Chris Gayle is the new undisputed king of an aggressive brand of cricket in the world.
When doubleton is a big deal in one day cricket, the Jamaican scored blistering 175 not out in a T20 match (IPL). If he would have played a bit more, the double century was on the cards. He blasted 175 runs off just 66 balls in an IPL match against Pune Warriors India. He set the pitch on fire.
He has hit 534 sixes in the 476 matches he played till date. His average of hitting sixes in each innings is 1.07. He is the most wanted and salable player across all the T20 leagues in the world.
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