ODI cricket has evolved over the years. With changing rules of the game, high-scoring matches have stolen the interest of the fans. Well, if you are interested in cricket, you would always want to know the positions of the leading batsmen of the world with the maximum number of sixes. The batsman with the most number of sixes need not necessarily be the best one in the world. When it comes to One Day Internationals, scoring, fast is equally important as scoring in bulk. Here are the names of the leading batsmen of the world with the maximum number of sixes in ODI’s.
1. Shahid Afridi – Boom Boom
As the nickname suggests, the danger man from Pakistan loves to go smashing from the very outset. Although he does not have an impressive average, which revolves around 24, he is the batsman with maximum number of sixes in ODI’s. He achieved the feat after playing in 369 innings in 389 matches. Back in March 2013, he became the only batsman in cricket history to cross the milestone of 300 sixes when the smashed three massive sixes against South Africa in the first ODI at Bloemfontein. He leads from the front when it comes to the tally of sixes.
2. Sanath Jayasuriya – The Nemesis
The former Sri Lankan cricketer is one of the jewels of ODI cricket. He is in the second position in the number of sixes in ODI’s. He has 270 sixes from 433 innings in 455 matches. He has a good average of 32 and has maintained a strike rate of 91. Altogether, it is an impressive performance from the cricketer. Apart from this, he has also hit 1500 fours during his ODI career. He redefined destructive batting and powered the Sri Lankan batting line up over a long time. He was one of the most feared batsmen by both the pacers and the spinners.
3. Chris Gayle – The Gayle Storm
His name is familiar to a storm that sweeps away the bowling mechanism of the opponents. With still a number of years to go in his ODI career, the batsman from West Indies has the capability of setting his own record of sixes. With a tally of 238 sixes in an ODI, he is in a striking distance from breaking Jayasuriya’s record of sixes. It might take him some years to get across to that of Shahid Afridi’s, but cricket is a game of uncertainties. He has achieved this feat in 264 innings from 269 matches.
4. Brendon McCullum – The wicket-keeper-skipper
Besides playing the triple role of a skipper, wicket keeper and batsman, McCullum has established himself as one of the most credible batsmen in the world. Yet again, he has failed to impress with the average, which hovers around 30. However, when he gets going with the score, the day belongs to him. He has added 200 sixes to his tally from 260 matches, and he has a long way to go to smash the records.
5. Mahendra Singh Dhoni – Captain Cool
This batsman from India has a stunning average of 53 in ODI’s. With a collection of 196 sixes from 244 innings in 281 matches, he has proven to be one of the best finishers of the game. Apart from this, he has maintained a strike rate of 89. The batting style of the wicket-keeper batsman has evolved over the years. From the flamboyant batsman with locks touching his shoulders, he has shifted the gears to a more responsible batsman. He is the only captain to win all the three ICC trophies for his country between 2007 and 2013.
6. Sachin Tendulkar – Master Blaster
24 years of cricket and 463 ODI’s for India. You had definitely expected his name among the top ten. Sachin Tendulkar is in the fifth position with 195 sixes in ODI’s. With a whopping tally of 18426 runs in ODI’s, he is far ahead of others in terms of runs. However, batting was quite difficult without the power plays in his early career as a cricketer. Keeping these factors in mind, it is not at all a bad performance, given that he has played over 450 matches and yet failed to cross the 200 sixes landmark.
7. Sourav Ganguly – Dada
The former captain of the Indian cricket team has a tally of 190 sixes. He played in 300 innings, in 311 matches. With an impressive average of 41, he is in the list of top ten batsmen with the maximum number of sixes. He has a strike rate of 74, which is not too good as per today’s standards of the game. Nevertheless, he has a glorious contribution to Indian cricket.
8. AB de Villiers – Mr. 360
This destructive batsman from South Africa injects fear into the minds of the bowlers from the very outset. Still going strong, he has accumulated 187 sixes from 206 matches. He can dispatch the ball out of the ground, irrespective of the bowler. Give him any angle, line or length, he never cares about who the bowler is. He is one of the best contemporary batsmen in the shorter formats the game. Most importantly, he has a strike rate of 100 and an average of 53.
9. Ricky Ponting – The legendary Australian captain
The perfect mix of aggression and methodology made him a dreaded batsman. Coming to the accumulation of runs, his century during the 2003 World Cup against India is a typical specimen of his class. He has 162 sixes from 375 matches, and is one of the most successful captains of Australia. He has over 13,000 runs in ODI cricket and a good average of 42.
10. Chris Cairns – The all-rounder from New Zealand
With 153 sixes from 215 matches, he is in the tenth position in the list. Although he is out of international cricket for quite some time due to allegations of match-fixing against him, he is an asset to the team. He has a strike rate of around 84 but has failed to impress with the batting average, which is fixed around 29.
Most of the batsmen in the list are still active in their career, while the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Chris Cairns and Ricky Ponting have retired. Records are created and records will be broken, yet the game of cricket charms its lovers throughout all the formats. This is the beauty of cricket.
