Longest Six in Cricket: Most Sixes in Cricket History

Watching a batter hit a six in any form of cricket is exciting. Six-hitting ability is considered one of the most important game-changing abilities that a modern-day batter could develop. Hitting sixes is an art for any batter, where a lot of practice goes behind to muscle and time the ball perfectly to clear the boundary. Even the best Cricket players struggle to clear the boundary at times during the crunch situation. Just recently, Indian captain Rohit Sharma has etched his name in cricket history by becoming the undisputed king of sixes. The 'Hitman' holds the record for the most sixes in international cricket, with an astounding 597 sixes across all three formats (ODI, Test, T20) in 472 matches. In this blog, check out the top five cricket players to smash the most sixes in cricket history, and it is quite shocking that legendary Indian captain MS Dhoni, who is known for his brute force, is not in the top 5 of this esteemed tally.

Longest Six in Cricket: Most Sixes in Cricket History

1. Rohit Sharma (India) - 597 Sixes

Indian captain Rohit Sharma, fondly known as 'Hitman,' holds the record for most sixes hit by a batter in the history of international cricket. Rohit overtook the 'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 match between India and Afghanistan in Delhi to become the batter with the most sixes in international cricket. Rohit smashed four sixes against Afghanistan and overtook the Universe Boss to become the cricket player with the most sixes in international cricket. The 'Hitman' holds the record for the most sixes in international cricket, with a mind-boggling 597 sixes across all three formats (ODI, Test, T20) in 472 matches. The former Mumbai Indians captain was the talk of the town ahead of the IPL 2024 season when the franchise announced Hardik Pandya as the captain.

2. Chris Gayle (West Indies) - 553 Sixes

Legendary West Indies opener Chris Gayle was the world's leading batter with the most number sixes in international cricket before Rohit Sharma overtook him. Famously known as the 'Universe Boss', Gayle uses his muscle power to smash the ball out of the park. His brute force and six-hitting ability in any ground make him the most destructive among the top five six-hitters across formats. Gayle holds the fourth position amongst the players with the biggest Sixes In T20Is, having launched an amazing 116-meter six over the boundary line against former Indian off-spin bowling all-rounder Yusuf Pathan during the 2010 ICC T20 World Cup. The gigantic shot went straight out of the Kensington Oval Stadium. While talking about his international cricket career, the 44-year-old has smashed 553 sixes across the three formats of the game (98 test sixes, 331 ODI sixes, and 124 T20I sixes). Gayle, who now plays franchise cricket in various countries, has smashed 1056 sixes in his T20 career.

3. Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) - 476 Sixes

Fondly known as 'Boom Boom Afridi', Pakistan's legendary all-rounder Shahid Afridi was known for his powerful batting style in International cricket, where he dominated bowlers with his aggressive style of batting. Shahid Afridi was known for his power-hitting ability, smashing the ball out of the park irrespective of the conditions and bowlers at his disposal. The star Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has smashed 476 sixes in his international career. He has 52 sixes in tests, 351 in ODIs, and 73 in T20Is. The former Pakistan captain holds the record for smashing the longest six in cricket history in all formats (153m) six against South Africa's Ryan McLaren.

4. Brendon McCullum (New Zealand) - 398 Sixes

Former New Zealand skipper and current England coach Brendon Mccullum is 4th in the list of cricket players to smash the most sixes in cricket history. With England's 'Bazball' approach, Brendon McCullum is always around the cricket updates. The dashing New Zealand opener has smashed 107 sixes in tests, 200 sixes in ODIs, and 91 sixes in 70 innings in the T20I format and is among the only three batters with 100 or more sixes in test cricket. Like Pakistan's Shahid Afridi, McCullum is famous for his aggressive batting style. Brutal and brilliant to watch, Brendon McCullum could bruise any bowling attack in international cricket. He muscled balls all over the world and was responsible for getting the Indian Premier League off to an electrifying start, lighting up the tournament's first match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru with 158. He followed that style in the longest format, striking the fastest century in Test history in his final match. 

5. Martin Guptill (New Zealand) - 383 Sixes

Star New Zealand opener Martin Guptill is known for smashing sixes in white-ball cricket. He is the fifth-leading six-hitter in international cricket, with 383 sixes in his cricket career. Guptill has smashed 383 sixes (23 sixes in test cricket, 187 in ODIs, and 173 in T20I cricket). Guptill is the second-leading six-hitter in the T20I format, only behind Rohit Sharma, who has 182 sixes. The swashbuckling opener burst into the limelight when he notched up a record-breaking double century against West Indies during the 2015 ODI World Cup hosted jointly by New Zealand and Australia. Guptill also holds the record for hitting the biggest six in the history of T20I cricket as he smashed a remarkable (127 m) six against South Africa in 2012.