Most sixes in a Test innings
Test match is a format where batters get a lot of time to build their innings. As the game is played over five days, the batters can assess the conditions of the ground, pick the traits of the different bowlers and play accordingly. However, there have also been instances where cricketers have taken risks by hitting some lusty blows and entertained the cricket fraternity with swashbuckling knocks. In this article, we take a look at most sixes hit in a Test innings.
3) 10 – Wally Hammond
In 1933, Wally Hammond set the record for the highest individual score in a Test match when he amassed 336 not out in the second Test between England and New Zealand. After the Kiwis were bowled out for 158 in their first innings, England declared for 548/7 thanks to the marathon knock played by Hammond. He hit 34 fours and 10 sixes during his innings. The hosts were 16/0 in their second innings as the match ended in a draw.
2) 11 – Nathan Astle, Matthew Hayden, Brendon McCullum, Ben Stokes, Kusal Mendis
In March 2002, Nathan Astle played a glorious knock in the fourth innings of the first Test between New Zealand and England in Christchurch. England were bowled out for 228 in the first innings before dismissing the Blackcaps for 147. The second innings saw England put on a show with the bat, as they declared for 468/6, setting the hosts a target of 550. Astle scored a brilliant 222 off 168 balls, hitting 28 fours and 11 sixes. The Kiwis eventually lost by 98 runs but Astle received a lot of praise.
Matthew Hayden hit 11 sixes during his 380-run knock off 437 balls against Zimbabwe in the first Test in 2003 in Perth. Australia declared for a mammoth 735/6 and went on to win the match by an innings and 175 runs. Brendon McCullum hit 11 sixes in a Test innings on two different occasions. Against Pakistan, in November 2014, McCullum scored 202 off 188 balls, hitting 21 fours and 11 sixes in the first innings. The Kiwis won the encounter by an innings and 80 runs in Sharjah. One month later, McCullum smashed 195 off 134 balls against Sri Lanka in Christchurch, hitting 18 fours and 11 sixes in the first innings. The Blackcaps eventually won the encounter by eight wickets after successfully chasing down a target of 105 in the fourth innings.
Ben Stokes lit up Cape Town with a record-shattering 258 off 198 balls in the first innings of the second Test between England and South Africa in January 2016. The talismanic all-rounder hit 30 fours and 11 sixes in his innings. The match eventually ended in a draw. Kusal Mendis slammed 245 off 291 balls in Sri Lanka’s first innings of the second Test against Ireland in Galle in April 2023. He hit 18 fours and 11 sixes during his stay at the crease. The Lankan Lions eventually won by an innings and 10 runs.
1) 12 – Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram is one of the finest pacers of all time but he also contributed some important runs with the bat for Pakistan. In October 1996, in Sheikhupura, Akram played a mind-blowing innings of 257 not out off 363 balls, hitting 22 fours and 12 sixes. His knock helped the Asian giants recover from a spot of bother. The match eventually ended in a draw.
