11 cricketers with the most Test sixes – player in joint 4th position alongside Chris Gayle will genuinely surprise you
Sixes are not a common feature in Test cricket. The oldest form of the game is more about tradition, straight bats, and balls on the ground. But it is changing as the influence of ODI and T20 cricket brings itself to bear, and sixes are hit more frequently now than ever before.
When the news that former Indian skipper Rohit Sharma had retired from Test cricket broke, it led to a flurry of tributes and reflections on the great man’s career.
As it turns out, he is high up on the list of batsmen who have hit the most sixes in Test cricket. Who else is on the list, and what are the most sixes to be hit in a Test career? Let’s take a look…
11. Chris Cairns (New Zealand) – 87 Test sixes from 104 innings
Chris Cairns was New Zealand’s premier all-rounder in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Although primarily known for his seam bowling and powerful medium pace, he was equally dangerous with the bat. Cairns combined textbook technique with genuine power, clearing the ropes on 87 occasions in just 104 innings.
His efforts against Australia in Wellington in 2000 remain a classic demonstration of his ability to accelerate from the crease and cart sixes when his team needed impetus – he hit two sixes in a first innings knock of 109 before striking a further six maximums in a second innings total of 69.
=9. Brian Lara (West Indies) – 88 Test sixes from 232 innings
Brian Lara, the West Indies batting legend, was a master of placement and timing rather than brute force. Yet, over his 232 Test innings, he managed to deposit 88 balls over the ropes.
Lara’s propensity for the lofted cover drive and the late cut meant that his sixes often split fielders rather than soared over packed rings. His highest Test score of 400* against England in 2004 featured several majestic sixes, each a study in elegance and precision rather than raw power.
=9. Rohit Sharma (India) – 88 Test sixes from 116 innings
Rohit Sharma’s transition from limited-overs specialist to Test stalwart saw him adapt his aggressive instincts to red-ball cricket. In 116 innings, he struck 88 sixes, many coming in counter-attacking knocks on subcontinental pitches.
His signature lofted on-drive against spinners turned the tide in matches and became a hallmark of his Test style. India‘s Rohit’s twin centuries against Australia in Nagpur in 2023 featured boundary-clearing brilliance, underscoring why he ranks among the six-hitting elite.
8. Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka) – 89 Test sixes from 210 innings
Angelo Mathews was Sri Lanka’s dependable middle-order batsman and part-time medium pacer. Over 210 Test innings, he launched 89 sixes, often rescuing his side from precarious positions.
Mathews blended classical technique with the capacity to clear deep midwicket and long-on, especially against short-ball bowling. His 118* against South Africa in Cape Town in 2013 featured two trademark sixes over midwicket, encapsulating his metronomic consistency and flair under pressure.
7. Virender Sehwag (India) – 91 Test sixes from 180 innings
Known as the “Nawab of Najafgarh,” Virender Sehwag redefined Test batting aggression. His 91 sixes in 180 innings came from a mindset that saw every delivery as a scoring opportunity.
Sehwag’s trigger movements and hand-eye coordination allowed him to smother spin and punch pace bowlers over the ropes. His 319 against South Africa in Chennai in 2008 included multiple sixes — among them a ramp over fine leg that remains etched in fans’ memories as the archetype of fearless Test batting.
6. Jacques Kallis (South Africa) – 97 Test sixes from 280 innings
Jacques Kallis is widely regarded as the greatest all-rounder in cricket history, but few ever talk about his power-hitting prowess. In 280 Test innings, he hoisted 97 sixes, often matching his classical strokes with surprise bursts of brute force.
Kallis’s sixes — whether a straight-driven classic over long on or a flat heave over midwicket, underscored his adaptability. His 139* against India in Chennai in 1996 saw him clear the ropes three times, reminding everyone that Kallis was more than just a textbook technician.
=4. Chris Gayle (West Indies) – 98 Test sixes from 182 innings
Chris Gayle, the “Universe Boss,” is synonymous with six-hitting, even in Tests. Over 182 innings, he struck 98 sixes, many of them mammoth hits over midwicket and long-on.
His 333 against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2010 featured a barrage of aerial assault, including nine sixes. Despite his laid-back demeanour, Gayle’s six-hitting technique in Tests was honed on bouncy Caribbean wickets, making him a genuine dual-format destroyer. Gayle remains the only batsman in the history of Test cricket to have hit a six off the first ball of a Test.
He achieved the feat against Bangladesh in Mirpur in 2012 when Bangladesh opened the bowling with debutant spinner Sohag Gazi and he cashed in.
=4. Tim Southee (New Zealand) – 98 Test sixes from 156 innings
Unusually for a fast bowler, Tim Southee ranks equal fourth in six-hitting among Test batsmen, with 98 sixes from just 156 innings. Known more for his in-swinging yorkers, Southee’s batting prowess often went under the radar.
He combined a compact technique with the ability to clear midwicket rooftops, particularly in lower-order counterattacks. His six — off Muttiah Muralitharan in Auckland in 2009 — became an instant classic, setting up a thrilling lower-order fightback.
3. Adam Gilchrist (Australia) – 100 Test sixes from 137 innings
Adam Gilchrist revolutionized wicketkeeper-batting in Tests, and part of his legacy lies in his six-hitting. In just 137 innings, he cleared the ropes 100 times, often turning the tide in tight sessions.
Gilchrist’s sixes were a blend of audacious power and impeccable timing: the sweep over deep backward square and the flick past leg slip became trademark shots. His 149* against England at Perth in 2006 featured seven sixes, a display of why he is remembered as one of the game’s most explosive keepers.
2. Brendon McCullum (New Zealand) – 107 Test sixes from 176 innings
Brendon McCullum embodied taking the attack to bowlers. Over 176 Test innings, he launched 107 sixes, combining relentless aggression with Test-match awareness.
His blistering 302 against India in Christchurch in 2014 included 21 boundaries and four sixes — a masterclass in ebbing and flowing aggression. McCullum’s approach forced opponents to rethink traditional Test tactics: he proved that batsmen could score quickly without compromising match needs – a philosophy he has brought to his coaching career.
1. Ben Stokes (England) – 133 Test sixes from 198 innings
Topping the list is Ben Stokes, with a staggering 133 sixes in 198 Test innings. Stokes’s sixes, from the deep cover drive to the ramp over fine leg, demonstrate a rare blend of brute power and improvisation.
His six-hitting prowess was pivotal in many match-defining innings: the 258 against South Africa in Cape Town in 2016 included seven sixes, and his heroic 135* in the Headingley Ashes Test in 2019 featured multiple aerial assaults under extreme pressure.
Stokes’s position atop this list cements his status as cricket’s preeminent modern-day all-rounder and leader of men.
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