This article highlights the batters who’ve hit five or more sixes more frequently in an ODI innings.
Most Times 5+ Sixes in an ODI Innings
| Player | No. of Inns with 5+ 6s | Most 6s in an Inns |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Gayle (WI) | 23 | 16 vs ZIM, 2015 |
| Rohit Sharma (IND) | 20 | 16 vs AUS, 2013 |
| Shahid Afridi (PAK) | 18 | 11 vs SL, 1996 |
| Eoin Morgan (ENG) | 12 | 17 vs AFG, 2019 |
| AB de Villiers (SA) | 11 | 16 vs WI, 2015 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) | 11 | 11 vs PAK, 1996 |
| Jos Buttler (ENG) | 10 | 14 vs NED, 2022 |
| Brendon McCullum (NZ) | 9 | 10 vs IRE, 2008 |
| Paul Stirling (IRE) | 9 | 8 vs UAE, 2023 |
| Glenn Maxwell (AUS) | 8 | 10 vs AFG, 2023 |
| Jonny Bairstow (ENG) | 8 | 7 vs NZ, 2018 |
| Martin Guptill (NZ) | 8 | 11 vs WI, 2015 |
| Mitchell Marsh (AUS) | 8 | 9 vs PAK, 2023 |
| Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 8 | 7 vs AUS, 1998 |
| Kieron Pollard (WI) | 7 | 10 vs IND, 2011 |
| Sourav Ganguly (IND) | 7 | 7 vs SL, 1999 |
Key Insights on High-Frequency and Individual Six-Hitting Records in ODI Cricket
Most Instances of Five or More Sixes in ODI Innings
Chris Gayle has achieved the feat of smashing five or more sixes in an ODI inning 23 times, which is the most by any batter in this format.
Gayle is the only batter with 10 or more such instances both at home (11 instances) and in overseas conditions (12 instances).
Gayle has recorded five or more sixes in eight innings against England, the most by a batter against a single opponent in ODIs.
He is the only batter to hit five-plus sixes in five or more innings against two teams in ODIs, with New Zealand being the other opponent (five instances).
Rohit Sharma’s 14 innings with five or more sixes at home tops Gayle’s 11 at home. Here is an exclusive collection of Rohit Sharma’s sixes records!
Shahid Afridi has topped Gayle’s overseas record with 17 occurrences for Pakistan in overseas conditions.
Rohit (7 vs Australia) and Sanath Jayasuriya (5 vs New Zealand) are the only other batters who’ve hit five-plus sixes in five or more innings against a specific team in ODIs.
A Deep Dive: The Unbeatable Physics of Rohit Sharma’s Sixes
Record for Most Sixes in a Single ODI Innings
Eoin Morgan holds the record for hitting the most sixes in an ODI innings, having struck 17 maximums during his 148-run knock against Afghanistan in Manchester in the 2019 World Cup.
Four batters are tied for the second-highest tally with 16 sixes each in an ODI inning: Rohit Sharma (vs AUS, 2013), AB de Villiers (vs WI, 2015), Chris Gayle (vs ZIM, 2015), and Jaskaran Malhotra (vs PNG, 2021).
Jaskaran Malhotra is one of two batters, along with Herschelle Gibbs (vs Netherlands, 2007), to hit six sixes in one over in ODIs, with six of his 16 sixes against Papua New Guinea coming in one over.
Historic Match Records for Collective Six-Hitting
The ODI game between New Zealand and India on March 10, 2009, was the first time three players in a match scored 5+ sixes in the same game.
So far five matches have seen three batters scoring 5+ sixes in the same game.
The match between India and Australia on November 2, 2013, is the only one in cricketing history where four players hit 5+ sixes in a single ODI. It was the game in which Rohit scored his first ODI double century — 209. Here are the other records that were broken that day.
Leading Career Six-Hitters in ODIs
Rohit, Afridi, and Gayle are the three batters who’ve scored more than 300 sixes in ODIs. These three big-hitters are also the leading six-hitters in international cricket across formats.
