In cricket, making six runs in a ball is a huge gain for both the batsman and their team. A six is a huge shot directly from the pitch to outside the boundary line and sometimes between the audience. In six, the ball flies high above the ground to the boundary line.
Whenever a batsman hits a six, the audiences cheer with joy. Seeing a hit is like a treat to the eyes. You see the batsman taking the ball in their control and hitting it so hard that it lands beyond the boundary line. The umpire raises both his hands in the gesture of a sixer.
A sixer can be measured in the distance covered by the ball and ranked according to that distance. Considering this factor, you can make a list of the longest sixes.
Let’s see who holds the record of making the longest six in the history of cricket
10. Ijaz Ahmed (Pakistan)
Batting: Right-handed
Active: 1986-2001
Longest Sixer: 115 meters against India (1999)
Thanks @ImSohaibirfan bahi… Ali Younis sb, Shah Faisal sb, Adnan sb, Ibtisam sb, K Asif, and Smiling Bilal bahi…. Good Time and best of luck for all of you. https://t.co/NrGlewqUa7
— Ejaz Ahmed Cricket Commentator (@Ejazahmedmalik) October 16, 2022
Ijaj Ahmed is a little-known name in international cricket but he had a fascinating career in cricket. He has played 250 ODIs and 60 Test matches. His highest score in ODI is 139 not out against India and 211 against Sri Lanka. The audiences still remember the ODI when he smashed the Indian bowling line with 139 runs off 68 balls including 9 sixes.
9. Chris Gayle (West Indies)
Batting: Left-handed
Active: 1999-2021
Longest Sixer: 116 meters against India (2010)
Hello, Universe Boss! 🌐#OnThisDay in 2011, on his RCB debut, Gayle smashed a brilliant century 🆚 his former team KKR that helped us pick up a 9-wicket win💯@henrygayle was also rightly named the POTM for his unbeaten knock of 1️⃣0️⃣2️⃣ with 🔟 fours & 7️⃣ maximums 💪#PlayBold pic.twitter.com/UFUpjBSYxn
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 22, 2023
Chris Gayle needs a little introduction as he is already recognized as one of the best batsmen of the Twenty-Twenty format. It was during his time that West Indies won the ICC Champions Trophy (2004), the ICC World Twenty20 (2012), and the ICC World Twenty20 (2016). Chris Gayle also holds the world record for most sixes including one of the longest sixes that he hit during the ICC T20 World Cup group stage match against India when he threw Yusuf Pathan’s ball 116 meters away for a six.
8. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (India)
Batting: Right-handed
Active: 2004-2019
Longest Sixer: 118 meters against New Zealand (2007)
@M.S Dhoni with his team at reception at India House,Harare. About 200 community members attended the reception pic.twitter.com/CAQdhhUHPo
— India in Zimbabwe (@IndiainZimbabwe) June 16, 2016
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is credited for bringing the 2011 ODI World Cup to India. Also, he won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy as a captain. With these awards and accolades, Dhoni becomes one of the most decorated cricket captains in the world. But there is more to his batting than meets the eye. He played 350 ODI matches and scored 10,773 runs with the highest score of 184 not out.
7. Yuvraj Singh (India)
Batting: Left-handed
Active: 2000-2017
Longest Sixer: 119 meters against Australia (2007)
Happy birthday big man @KieronPollard55 🎂 now that’s 72 runs in one over in this frame 🤪😎 have a good one and stay blessed buddy! pic.twitter.com/RWdWEKKilW
— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) May 12, 2023
A gem of the Indian World Cup winning squad, Yuvraj Singh took 15 wickets including 5 wickets in a haul, and scored 362 runs in the tournament, and became the man of the tournament. India recognized his contribution by aw awarding him the Arjuna Award, the second-highest athletic honor in the country. He also hit the longest sixer of his career during the semi-final of the 2007 T20 world cup against Australia.
6. Mark Waugh (Australia)
Batting: Right-handed
Active: 1988-2002
Longest Sixer: 120 meters against New Zealand (1997)
Best of luck on Sunday in the grand final for the @PickersMaitland I will be cheering for them on along with there illustrious president @frank2968. 🤞 pic.twitter.com/MZr9ZIYFZZ
— Mark Waugh (@juniorwaugh349) September 9, 2022
Mark Waugh was a great batsman of his time and an ace fielder. He scored runs for his team and took catches. He is still considered the best slip-fielders in the history of cricket. Also, he held the world record for most Test catches until 2009 when Rahul Dravid broke that record. But he remained the most underrated cricket throughout his career.
5. Corey Anderson (New Zealand)
Batting: Left-handed
Active: 2012-2018
Longest Sixer: 122 meters against India (2014)
New Zealand’s Corey Anderson smashes fastest ODI century off 36 balls against Windies http://t.co/Ag23ZpHxpS pic.twitter.com/kNZs49wTB4
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) January 1, 2014
Corey Anderson has a fascinating career including national team, IPL, and New Zealand first-class cricket. In 2014, he scored the fastest ODI century against West Indies. He scored 141 off 47 balls including 14 sixes and 6 fours. The 100 runs came in just 36 balls. But the record was broken the next year by AB de Villiers of South Africa.
4. Liam Livingstone (England)
Batting: Right-handed
Active: 2017-present
Longest Sixer: 122 meters against Pakistan (2021)
Thanks for all the support in Mohali… onto Kolkata for the next game @PunjabKingsIPL 🙏🦁 pic.twitter.com/jjVazfzgMM
— Liam Livingstone (@liaml4893) May 5, 2023
Liam Livingstone’s ODI record isn’t very much impressive. He scored only 250 runs with 66 highest score in 12 ODIs. But he holds the record of one of the longest sixes in the history of cricket. He hit a 122-meter sixer on Haris Rauf during the 2nd T20I at Headingley in 2021. He is recognized for fast-paced batting in short-form cricket.
3. Martin Guptill (New Zealand)
Batting: Right-handed
Active: 2009-2022
Longest Sixer: 127 meters against South Africa (2012)
New Zealand’s all-time leading T20I run-scorer is a Renegade 😤
— Melbourne Renegades (@RenegadesBBL) November 24, 2022
Welcome aboard, @martyguptill!#GETONRED pic.twitter.com/6SvemdUsPZ
Martin Guptill holds the record for the highest individual score in the cricket world cup and second highest score in ODI cricket. His world cup score of 237 not out off 163 balls against West Indies is still unbeaten. He has played 189 ODI matches and scored a total of 7,346 runs including 18 centuries and 39 half-centuries.
2. Brett Lee (Australia)
Batting: Right-handed
Active: 1999-2012
Longest Sixer: 130 meters against West Indies (2005)
Backstreets back ! 😆
— @BrettLee_58 (@BrettLee_58) May 4, 2023
Currently touring India 🇮🇳 @Swannyg66 @scottbstyris @robbieuthappa @anilkumble1074 @JioCinema #theinsiders pic.twitter.com/D81GiPI031
One of the fastest bowlers of his time, Brett Lee was also a great run scorer and this is evident from his average run rate. Also, it is surprising to know that a fast bowler can also hit a massive sixer. The shot came during a Test match at the Gabba. Brell Lee was facing Doren Powell when he noticed a loose ball and wasted no time in sending it to the boundary for a huge sixer.
1. Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)
Batting: Right-handed
Active: 1996-2016
Longest Sixer: 153 meters against South Africa (2013)
Shahid Afridi with Aleem Khan in Dubai During Park View City Event pic.twitter.com/FOJOpBsIpt
— TEAM AFRIDI (@TEAM_AFRIDI) May 8, 2023
Shahid Afridi was a distinct batsman of Pakistani cricket. He played 398 ODIs for Pakistan and scored 8,064 runs including 6 centuries and 39 half-centuries. He also hit the longest sixer in 2013 while playing against South Africa in Johannesburg. He threw a ball from Ryan Mclaren 153-meters away for a sixer.
Conclusion
In cricket, batsmen keep hitting sixes but some shots get etched in the history. Also, anyone can hit a six as it only needs good control over the ball. Today the format of cricket has changed from ODI to Twenty20 but the craze for hitting sixes remains the same.
