Unlike limited-overs cricket, Test cricket moves at a steady pace, as there’s no rush to score runs at a higher run rate. As a result, batters often don’t go after every ball to send it into the stands.
However, as teams instil an aggressive and fearless brand of cricket into their gameplay, batters are not shying away from smashing big hits. That has resulted in teams ending up with a significant number of sixes at the end of their innings.
This article will list the top 10 instances of teams that have struck the most sixes in a Test innings.
Most Sixes by a Team in a Test Innings
| Team | 6s in an Innings | Against | Venue | Match Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 22 | Pakistan | Sharjah | 26 Nov 2014 |
| India | 18 | England | Rajkot | 15 Feb 2024 |
| Australia | 17 | Zimbabwe | Perth | 9 Oct 2003 |
| Sri Lanka | 16 | Ireland | Galle | 24 Apr 2023 |
| Pakistan | 15 | New Zealand | Lahore | 1 May 2002 |
| India | 15 | Sri Lanka | Brabourne | 2 Dec 2009 |
| South Africa | 15 | West Indies | Basseterre | 18 Jun 2010 |
| New Zealand | 14 | Sri Lanka | Christchurch | 26 Dec 2014 |
| England | 14 | South Africa | Cape Town | 2 Jan 2016 |
| India | 14 | South Africa | Visakhapatnam | 2 Oct 2019 |
Key Insights
New Zealand holds the record for smashing the most sixes in a single Test innings. The Blackcaps smacked 22 sixes in the second innings of the Test match against Pakistan in 2014. And New Zealand became the first team to hit 20+ sixes in an innings.
India slammed 18 sixes in the third innings against England in the 2024 Rajkot Test, of which 12 came off the willow of Yashasvi Jaiswal. Similarly, Wasim Akram tonked 12 maximums out of Pakistan’s 13 against Zimbabwe in 1996. 12 sixes by Akram and Jaiswal is a joint record for the most sixes in a Test innings by a batter.
Apart from the 18 sixes, India also hit 10 sixes in the first innings of the same match, which combined to 28 sixes — the most sixes by a team in a Test match.
England became the first-ever team to smash 10 or more sixes in an innings. The touring English side sent the ball over the ropes 11 times against New Zealand way back in 1933.
There are more than 55 instances of teams hitting 10 or more sixes in a Test innings.
