The ability to hit sixes has significantly evolved in international cricket, thanks to the explosion of T20s around the globe. This format has encouraged batsmen to adopt a more fearless approach, with their training leaning more toward their six-hitting ability.
The new fielding restrictions, along with the use of heavier bats bats, have transformed the game, allowing players to score sixes more frequently.
Rohit Sharma, the overall six-hitting giant in international cricket across formats, also leads the current-players list for the most sixes in One Day Internationals (ODIs). His ODI sixes tally leads his contemporaries by a big margin.
Let’s explore the players who follow him in this trait.
Most ODI Sixes by Active Players
| CURRENT PLAYERS | SIXES | INNS | SIXES/INNS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma (IND) | 344 | 265 | 1.29 |
| Jos Buttler (ENG) | 173 | 160 | 1.08 |
| Glenn Maxwell (IND) | 155 | 136 | 1.13 |
| Virat Kohli (IND) | 152 | 290 | 0.52 |
| Paul Stirling (IRE) | 145 | 160 | 0.91 |
| David Miller (SA) | 144 | 154 | 0.93 |
| Mohammad Nabi (AFG) | 113 | 151 | 0.75 |
| Mahmudullah (BAN) | 107 | 209 | 0.51 |
| Sikandar Raza (ZIM) | 105 | 142 | 0.74 |
| Shai Hope (WI) | 102 | 128 | 79.68 |
More “Current Players” Records
Most Runs by Active Players in Test
Most Wickets by Active Players in Test
Most Wickets by Active Players in ODI
Most Runs by Active Players in ODI
Key Stats
Virat Kohli and Mahmudullah have the lowest sixes-per-innings ratio among the players on the list. Kohli’s batting style is more suited to hitting along the ground rather than going for sixes. Nonetheless, his remarkable longevity in this format has earned him a spot in the top five. On the other hand, Mahmudullah bats in the lower-middle order for Bangladesh, which means he faces fewer balls compared to the other players on the list.
Currently, Rohit is the only batter to be placed in the top 10 of the overall ODI list.
Jos Buttler and Glenn Maxwell are the other two batters to hit more sixes than the innings they have batted.
Among the non-retired players, only Rohit Sharma and Jos Buttler have hit more than 12 sixes in an ODI innings twice in their career. The other current player to do it once is Heinrich Klaasen, when the protean hit his opponent Australian bowlers for 13 sixes in a 2013 ODI match.
In this decade (since 2020), Rohit is the only batter to hit 100 ODI sixes.
In addition to this list, other current generation cricketers who have the potential to make it are Shubman Gill (India), Heinrich Klaasen (South Africa), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan), Muhammad Waseem (United Arab Emirates), Shreyas Iyer (India), Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka), and Nicholas Pooran (West Indies).
Know More: Indian Players to Play 100 Tests and 100 ODIs
