The record for most sixes in an innings in international cricket is currently 17 sixes.
England cricket team’s limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan achieved the feat in the 2019 ODI Cricket World Cup match against Afghanistan, and beat the previous record (16) that was jointly held by Rohit Sharma, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle in One Day Internationals and Hazratullah Zazai in T20 Internationals.
Here we take a look at the batters who have hit the most sixes in an innings in cricket.
Most sixes in an innings in international cricket
| Player | Sixes in innings | Team | Opponent | Year | Format |
| Eoin Morgan | 17 | England | Afghanistan | 2019 | ODI |
| Hazratullah Zazai | 16 | Afghanistan | Ireland | 2019 | T20I |
| AB de Villiers | 16 | South Africa | West Indies | 2015 | ODI |
| Chris Gayle | 16 | West Indies | Zimbabwe | 2015 | ODI |
| Rohit Sharma | 16 | India | Australia | 2013 | ODI |
Most sixes in an innings in ODI
Eoin Morgan hit the most sixes in an innings during the 2019 Cricket World Cup against Afghanistan.
The England captain came out to bat when his side were 164/2 in 30 overs. Taking cue from Jonny Bairstow’s 99-ball 90, Morgan forged a 189-run stand with Joe Root. The left-hander broke the all-time record off a Gulbadin Naib delivery before getting dismissed in the very next delivery.
| Player | Sixes in innings | Team | Opponent | Year |
| Eoin Morgan | 17 | England | Afghanistan | 2019 |
| Jaskaran Malhotra | 16 | USA | Papua New Guinea | 2019 |
| AB de Villiers | 16 | South Africa | West Indies | 2015 |
| Chris Gayle | 16 | West Indies | Zimbabwe | 2015 |
| Rohit Sharma | 16 | India | Australia | 2013 |
Prior to Morgan, the record for most sixes in an innings in ODIs was shared by Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers. Out of the three, India’s Rohit Sharma was the first to hit 16 sixes in an ODI innings with his effort coming against Australia in a 2013 ODI at Bengaluru.
The opener’s most productive over came in the 47th over bowled by Xavier Doherty, where he smashed three sixes in the over.
USA’s Jaskaran Malhotra also hit 16-sixes in an innings in a 2021 ODI fixture against Papua New Guinea.
Most sixes in an innings in Test
Wasim Akram hit the most sixes in an innings in Test cricket.
The legendary Pakistan all-rounder hit 12 sixes in his unbeaten knock of 257 against Zimbabwe. The knock was the only double century of his celebrated Test career.
| Player | Sixes in innings | Team | Opponent | Year |
| Wasim Akram | 12 | Pakistan | Zimbabwe | 1996 |
| Brendon McCullum | 11 | New Zealand | Sri Lanka | 2014 |
| Brendon McCullum | 11 | New Zealand | Pakistan | 2014 |
| Matthew Hayden | 11 | Australia | Zimbabwe | 2003 |
| Nathan Astle | 11 | New Zealand | England | 2002 |
Kiwi batter Nathan Astle held the previous record for most sixes in a Test innings, with his 11 sixes coming in a losing cause against England in 2002. His feat would be equalled by two other legendary batters in Matthew Hayden and Brendon McCullum.
McCullum, for one, hit 11 sixes in a Test innings in consecutive Tests. He first hammered 11 maximums in the third Test against Pakistan and followed it up with 11 sixes in the first Test against Sri Lanka in 2014.
Most sixes in an innings in T20I
Afghanistan’s Hazratullah Zazai is the batter with the most sixes in an innings in T20Is.
The Afghanistan batter’s 16 sixes against Ireland helped his side post a match-winning total of 278/3 in the second game of the three-match T20I series in 2021.
| Player | Sixes in innings | Team | Opponent | Year |
| Hazratullah Zazai | 16 | Afghanistan | Ireland | 2019 |
| George Munsey | 14 | Scotland | Netherlands | 2019 |
| Aaron Finch | 14 | Australia | England | 2013 |
| Richard Levi | 13 | South Africa | New Zealand | 2012 |
| Evin Lewis | 12 | West Indies | India | 2017 |
Zazai’s exploits from 2021 meant he bettered the previous record jointly held by Aaron Finch and George Munsey, who hit 14 sixes. Finch’s knock came in 2013 while Munsey equalled the mark in 2019.
The Australian star slammed a 63-ball 156 against England, and his knock helped the team recover from the early dismissal of David Warner and the batting order that failed to keep up with the English bowling unit.
Richard Levi is third on this list with 13 maximums. The South African’s unbeaten 117 off 51 balls helped the Proteas chase down a target of 174 against New Zealand with four overs to spare back in 2012.
Most sixes in an innings in T20 cricket
Chris Gayle, who also holds the record for most sixes in T20 cricket history, is the batter with the most number of sixes in an innings in T20 cricket.
The ‘Universe Boss’ slammed 18 sixes in the 2017 Bangladesh Premier League final between Rangpur Riders and Dhaka Dynamites. His 69-ball 146 helped the team set a match-winning total of 206/1 and would be declared the Player of the Match.
| Player | Sixes in innings | Team | Opponent | Year |
| Chris Gayle | 18 | Rangpur Riders | Dhaka Dynamites | 2017 |
| Punit Bisht | 17 | Scotland | Netherlands | 2021 |
| Chris Gayle | 17 | Australia | England | 2013 |
| Dasun Shanaka | 16 | Sinhalese Sports Club | Saracens Sports Club | 2017 |
| Graham Napier | 16 | Essex | Sussex | 2008 |
Gayle, with this performance, improved his own record, which he managed while playing for Bangalore against the now-defunct Pune in the 2013 Indian T20 League.
The Jamaican hard-hitter’s 17 sixes against Pune is still the existing record for most sixes in an innings in the Indian T20 League. The same innings also saw the West Indian put together the highest individual score in the competition and T20 cricket.
The Indian record for most sixes in an innings in T20 cricket is now in possession of Punit Bisht. The 35-year-old, representing Meghalaya, hit 17 sixes in the 2020-21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Plate Group match against Mizoram. With this, Bisht broke the previous record that was held by Mumbai's Shreyas Iyer, who slammed 15 sixes in the 2018-19 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy game against Sikkim.
Author: William Paul
Featured photo: AFP / MIKE HEWITT
