Hitting them big: Top 3 six-hitters in Test cricket among current players
Hailed as the purest format of the gentleman’s game, Test cricket is indeed a tough nut to crack. With the game spanning for five days, an individual needs patience, resilience, and sheer mental toughness to thrive. Scoring runs in Test cricket also takes some beating with the red ball being much more lethal than the white one. Hence, most of the batters tend to play safely with time and scoring rate not being a massive concern.
However, a section of batters have been aggressive even in the longest format of the game. They haven’t hesitated in playing big shots in order to push bowlers on the back foot. While smashing sixes in whites wasn’t a popular idea a few decades ago, things have changed in modern-day cricket. Nowadays, we see many batters taking the aerial route to dispatch the red cherry out of the park.
Here we look at three active players with the most sixes in Test cricket
Tim Southee – 75
Veteran fast bowler Tim Southee has been instrumental in the New Zealand cricket team’s meteoric rise. While the pacer is mostly known to make the ball talk, he is also a handy batter lower down the order. On numerous occasions, Southee has rescued the Kiwis with his blitzes. Clearing the ropes isn’t a major concern for him either. So far, the talismanic bowler has smashed 75 sixes in 79 Test matches. With Southee being just 32, this tally is set to enhance further.
Ben Stokes – 79
One of the hottest properties going around in world cricket, Ben Stokes has left the cricket world in awe with his all-round abilities. The southpaw likes to go after the bowlers straightaway to gather runs quickly. He doesn’t mind being aggressive even in red-ball cricket. Now, who can forget his 258-run mayhem against South Africa in 2016? As far as his sixes tally is concerned, the England dasher has cleared the ropes 79 times in 71 Tests.
Chris Gayle – 98
This illustrious list is topped by none other than Universe Boss Chris Gayle. It shouldn’t be a surprise for many as hitting sixes and Chris Gayle is almost synonymous. The West Indies star backs himself to clear the ropes even in the toughest of circumstances. In fact, he is the only player to smash the first ball of a Test innings for a six. Overall, the veteran has 98 maximums in 103 Tests.
