One Day Internationals (ODIs) were introduced to make cricket even more exciting. The cricket World Cup added a lot of context to the format. Up until the turn of the century, teams that excelled in Test cricket performed well in ODIs too. Teams like West Indies, Australia, and Pakistan saw their best form coincide in both formats. But post-2010, there has been a significant change to this pattern. Players With Most Sixes In ODIs
Teams started fielding ODI XI’s in contrast to their Test teams. England took this method even further, they sacrificed their Test rankings to shift focus on ODIs. They were driven by the quest of winning the World Cup (they eventually did win it). England kickstarted a new ODI template. They were hell-bent on an all-out attack no matter what the odds. This batting revolution has seen batsmen scoring a flurry of sixes and boundaries. Player’s longevity is no longer the case for them to be appearing on the six-hitting list although the below names suggest otherwise.
StumpsandBails lists 5 players with the most sixes in ODIs:
#5 MS Dhoni (229)
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is widely regarded as the best finisher in the modern game. Dhoni instinctively moulded his game according to the team’s needs and situation. He scored 10773 runs at an impressive average of 50.57 and a strike rate of 87.56. Dhoni smashed 229 sixes and 826 fours in his ODI career. He hit 10 centuries and 73 half-centuries in total.
#4 Rohit Sharma (244)
Rohit Sharma is the uncrowned six-hitting king. He is someone who hits sixes on will. Sharma redefined the role of an opener in lifted-overs cricket. His career took a 360 degree turn when he became an opener in 2013. Since then he has gone on to score 3 double hundreds. Sharma even holds the record of the highest score in an ODI. He has smashed 244 sixes and 832 fours in his career so far. Sharma has aggregated 9205 runs at an average of 48.96 and a strike rate of 88.90. This includes 29 centuries and 43 fifties.
#3 Sanath Jayasuriya (270)
Sanath Jayasuriya’s blazing starts in ODIs brought a new lease of life to the ODI format. He was awarded the ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the 1996 World Cup for his sizzling starts. Jayasuriya amassed 13430 ODI runs at an excellent strike rate of 91.20 and an average of 32.36. He smashed 270 maximums and 1500 fours in the process. Jayasuriya slammed 28 centuries and 68 fifties with a high score of 189.
#2 Chris Gayle (331)
Christopher Henry Gayle is the self-anointed Universe’s Boss. His 2-decade long career has seen many wonderful exploits. Chris Gayle occupies the second spot in terms of most sixes hit in ODI history. The universe boss amassed 10480 runs in 301 matches at an average of 37.83 and a strike rate of 87.19. This includes 25 centuries and 54 half-centuries. Gayle smashed 331 sixes and 1128 fours in his ODI career.
#1 Shahid Afridi (351)
It is to nobody’s surprise that Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi occupies the first spot. He holds the record for hitting most sixes in ODI format. Afridi scored 8064 runs in 369 innings at an excellent strike rate of 117. He smacked 351 maximums and 730 fours in the ODI format. Afridi registered 6 tons and 39 fifties with a high score of 124.
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