Who holds the record for hitting the most sixes in ODI cricket is like reading a mouthwatering book on desserts that says Chapter One- Hot maple syrup on pure Belgian waffle, Chapter Two- cream cookie with vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce, Chapter Three- Almond Praline with Panna Cotta toping- so on and so forth. Imagine having that for three days straight and then relishing it yet again? And if it isn’t enticing enough, then one should probably live off the wild idea that salad eating for the rest of the life is the finest way to be, but then not have anything to do with what the world considers a rhetorical question: what did you do for fun in life? Well, we all have our definition of fun but here’s something that tends to appeal to most Cricket fans and it’s that thing called batters with their prominence at six hitting! The sight of the white ball meeting the meat of the bat to create a crackling sound- a delight to the batter and his team, of course, but not to the bowlers as such, isn’t it? And if the ball travels a country mile, even better for the entertainment. Having said that, let us look at the list of top 5 batters to have hit most sixes in ODI cricket:
Rohit Sharma: 277 matches, 352 sixes
During his blistering knock of 57 that came off 51 deliveries (in the first ODI against the Proteas in the ongoing ODI series), former Indian captain Rohit Sharma took his team to a quickfire start against the Proteas, a contest that India would win eventually without much ado.
But the Hitman’s easy execution of the Proteas bowlers was a sight to see, reminding the needless critic about just how much he still has in him to contribute to a country that marvels at the Mumbai born. And why shouldn’t it? 352 sixes, at the end of the day, can be the aspiration of countless many who are the start of their careers- wouldn’t you agree?
Shahid Afridi: 398 matches, 351 sixes
Before Shahid Afridi, a noted contributor towards planet earth’s population, lost his marbles and made trolling India on Twitter rather frequently his second profession (or so he thinks), he was a great six hitter. And perhaps he shall be remembered for times to come as the easy going but fierce striker of hits that travelled like scud missiles out of the ground, scaring bowlers world over alike.
Being one among the batters to hit most sixes is a great feat and with 351 sixes, this is no joke, even if the hitter of those great blows has become one on social media. If Shahid Afridi can still calm down, not that it is the strongest point of the country (if that can be called so), it would give countless cricket fans a reason not to direct their ire on X towards a tireless servant of the Pakistan cricket team. But then, Lala is Lala, at the end of the day.
Chris Gayle: 301 matches, 331 sixes
Before binge watching became a favourite social sport of today’s generation, there was the six hitting of the Universe Boss. In all, the lanky Jamaican hit 331 sixes and struck off conserving economy rates off the scorecards akin to a lion removing a hare in its path. Born in Jamaica, a son of the West Indies, but a delight not just of the Caribbean islands but of the whole wide world, Christopher Henry Gayle, part prankster, pure entertainer, will forever be hailed as among the sport’s finest runmaker. Even in 2018, which is when he wasn’t getting any younger in the game, he hammered 162 off 97, in a one dayer at Dominica against England. Back then, the hosts were chasing 419 for a win and ended up with 389. To imagine that Gayle made 162 off his own smashing Stokes, Woakes, Wood and Plunkett in the process is reason enough to tip the hat to a maverick genius of world cricket.
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Sanath Jayasuriya: 445 matches, 270 sixes
For most nineties kids or cricket fans Jayasuriya = Wills 1996 ODI World Cup. The start up top. The holding onto an end fearlessly and smashing the likes of them all- whether Srinath, Kumble, Warne, McGrath, Harper, Fleming- for sixes and fours galore. But Sanath Jayasuriya was, still is, widely considered as that fearless left hander who adapted his game beautifully to the changing vagaries of a contest, whilst still not curbing his original destructive style as evident in those stellar nineties and 2000s. As a matter of fact, he ought to be saluted for having done to ODI cricket exactly that what is being done to the sport itself: T20 Cricket.
Bizarre? Vague? A Jean Claude Random statement? Anything but!
On April 1, 1996 in the first match of the Singer Cup, Sanath Jayasuriya struck 134 runs off 65 deliveries (11 boundaries and 11 sixes).At the receiving end were Waqar Younis, Aaqib Javed, Mohd Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq.
And lest it is forgotten, this was a one day international; T20s followed eleven years later.
MS Dhoni: 350 matches, 229 sixes
Former Indian cricket captain and a legendary leader for intents and purposes is widely considered among the finest six hitters in the game; a batter who could lift the nastiest bowlers and cleverest spinners down the ground and over deep mid wicket- for instance- without much ado. In the end, MS Dhoni struck 229 sixes at the end of his career and made an impact as a white-ball specialist who could change the context of an inning, whether the team was chasing or batting first given his ability to sport cool weathers. But what warrants greater respect than (still) extended is this:
How difficult would it have been for a cricketer who kept almost for the entirety of his career and then emerged as a six hitter, often reviving an inning that needed repair work and then, as we all know, ‘finishing’ things for his side?