Hitting a six is widely considered to be one of the biggest game-changing abilities that a batter could possess in modern-day cricket. With the popularity of the sport has largely moved away from the classic five-day-long format to limited-overs cricket, the significance of big hitters today cannot be stressed enough.

That said, here’s a list of batsmen with the most sixes in international cricket.

Rohit Sharma - 575 sixes

Star Indian opener Rohit Sharma has made quite a name for himself for his effortless six-hitting ability and has hit the most maximums in international cricket. Making his debut in 2007, Rohit Sharma has played 460 matches so far, where he has hit 575 sixes. Aptly nicknamed the ‘Hitman,’ Sharma has scored more than 3,000 out of his current run tally of 17,000-plus runs in sixes.

Rohit Sharma has played 52 Test matches so far and has managed to hit 77 sixes in them. His record, quite unsurprisingly, gets better in limited-overs cricket, where he has hit 316 sixes in 260 ODIs and 182 sixes in 148 T20Is. Among active cricketers, Rohit Sharma has hit the most number of sixes.

Chris Gayle - 553 sixes

Making his international debut in 1999, the towering West Indies opener has mostly dealt in sixes. Chris Gayle holds the record for the second-most number of sixes in international cricket with 553 from 483 matches across all three formats. This means that the Universe Boss has scored 3,318 runs out of his 19,594-run tally in sixes alone.

Chris Gayle has hit 98 sixes in 103 Test matches, 331 sixes in 301 ODIs and 124 sixes in 79 T20Is.

Shahid Afridi - 476 sixes

The former Pakistan all-rounder was yet another individual who liked to score only in maximums. Shahid Afridi, a middle-order batsman who made his debut in 1996, featured in 524 international matches. Afridi hit a total of 476 sixes on the international stage, bringing up 2,856 of his 11,196 run-tally in sixes.

Afridi played only 27 Test matches in his career but managed to hit 52 sixes in them. However, his six-hitting ability shone the brightest in the 50-over format, where he hit a whopping 351 sixes in 398 ODIs. The twenty-over format suited his style as well, where Afridi slogged 73 sixes in 99 T20Is. 

Players with most sixes in international cricket

Featured Image: AFP/ Randy Brooks