The 9 biggest sixes in the history of cricket
More and more cricket leagues are appearing around the world, with six-hitting getting more destructive every day.
Gone are the days when batters wanted to solely hit the ball out of the park, nowadays, it is all about who can club the ball the most metres.
Bats are thicker, and with even more pace on the ball, the future of six-hitting is limitless.
With the Australian Big Bash League teeing off again in a month and the Indian Premier League not long after, the record for the longest-recorded six may be at risk.
Here are the longest sixes ever recorded in cricket.
9. Yuvraj Singh – 119 metres
The Indian was prolific across all formats and scored eight half-centuries for India in T20Is. His ability to come in down the order and take on the bowlers made him a dangerous all-rounder.
His 119m six for his nation against India would have just cleared the length of a football pitch.
=8. Adam Gilchrist – 122 metres
Gilchrist was a legendary wicketkeeper-batsman for Australia and a constant feature in cricket’s record books.
His sensational 122-metre heave was for Punjab at the expense of South African Charl Langeveldt.
=8. Mark Waugh – 122 metres
The next Australian cricketing hero, Waugh, held the record of the longest six for a long time following his 1999 dispatching of New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori.
With the cricket bats available nowadays, who knows how much further he could have smashed his six.
=8. Liam Livingstone – 122 metres
The English all-rounder was in a destructive mood when his nation came up against Pakistan in a T20I.
His 122-metre effort flew out of the stadium and eventually touched down on a nearby rugby pitch.
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5. Albie Morkel – 124 metres
The big South Africa big-hitter was playing for Chennai in the IPL when he hit leg-spinner Pragyan Ojha over the fence for six.
A 122-metre six with not much pace on the ball perhaps doesn’t get the respect it deserves.
4. Martin Guptill – 127 metres
The Kiwi had an over to remember when his side came up against South Africa.
He hit his first six of the over 102m before sending the next for a mammoth 127 metres.
3. Aiden Blizzard – 130 metres
The batter lived up to his name with a destructive strike of the cricket ball at the WACA in 2008.
The ball flew 130 metres over the square leg boundary for the biggest maximum in domestic cricket history.
2. Brett Lee – 135 metres
Despite being more commonly associated with bowling rockets, the Australian paceman could hit them, too.
The ball flew out of the stands into the practice nets outside a massive 135 metres.
1. Shahid Afridi – 153 metres
Many former players consider it the greatest strike of a cricket ball in history. The Pakistani player smoked a maximum that gave him a place in the history books.
A staggering 153 metres out of the ground and into orbit, longer than the Expedition Cruise Vessel.
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