Most sixes in a calendar year in T20Is

Boundaries, especially sixes, are an integral part of Twenty20 cricket. Batters, in fact, are encouraged to look for the maximums at any stage of the game, giving them the license to go berserk on the opposition bowlers.

Over the years, several records, including most sixes in a calendar year in the format, have also gained prominence in the record books.

In the international circuit, India’s Suryakumar Yadav holds the record for most sixes in a calendar year in T20Is.

Suryakumar Yadav, also called SKY by fans and the Indian cricket fraternity, has smashed 59 sixes so far in 2022, breaking the previous record held by Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan, who is currently third on the list. SKY is also the first player to hit 50 sixes in a calendar year.

On the eve of the first T20I of the South Africa Tour of India 2022, Suryakumar Yadav’s tally stood at 42, level with Mohammad Rizwan who set his record in 2021.

The 32-year-old Indian batter, who has been a standout performer since breaking into the India team last year, played another stellar knock on 50* off 33 balls to help his team win the match. During his innings, Suryakumar Yadav hit three sixes to surpass Rizwan’s record for most sixes in a calendar year in T20Is.

The batter is expected to feature in more T20Is for India this year and will be looking to fortify his record in the remaining few months.

UAE’s Muhammad Waseem is second on the list. The 28-year-old batter, who debuted for UAE in 2021, has been making a name for himself as a power-hitter and has hit 43 sixes in 16 matches in 2022.

In the final of ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier A 2022 against Ireland, the opener scored a scintillating century, aided by eight sixes and seven fours, to power his team to a seven-wicket win.

New Zealand veteran Martin Guptill is fourth on the list, hitting 41 maximums in the year 2021, including eight in his 50-ball 97 knock that helped the Kiwis beat Australia in the second T20I of the Australia Tour of New Zealand in February. The 36-year-old opening batter scored 678 runs that year, at an average of 37.66 and strike rate of 145.49.

Papua New Guinea wicket-keeper Tony Ura stands fifth in the list of most sixes in a calendar year in T20Is with 39 sixes in the year 2022. The right-handed batter has been an instrumental player for his side over the years, scoring 1202 runs in 39 T20Is at an average of 38.77 and strike rate of 157.95. In the fifth match of the Nepal Tri-Nation T20I Series 2022 against Malaysia, Ura smashed 10 sixes en route to his 34-ball 86 knock and led his team to victory.

There is plenty of T20I action left in 2022, headlined by the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, the cricketing fraternity can expect some meaningful movement in the list.