Most Sixes in Cricket History Across all Formats: The Biggest Hitters

Traditionally, cricket in the test format was regarded as a battle of skill and technique between batters and bowlers. But now, with the advent of the shorter formats like the ODI and T20s, and the aspect of power hitting in cricket has added an electrifying dimension to the game. Six hitting is now one of the most exciting parts of the sport. The ability to hit maximums consistently has become a defining factor in the modern era of the game. And as an entertainment point of view, seeing players hit big is what every spectator loves.  The art of hitting big shows how dominant you can be with your cricket bat on the pitch. In this article of ZAP Records, let’s look at a list of players with the most international sixes in all formats. 

Last updated: October 6, 2026

Most sixes in test cricket:

Credit: Wisden

Tests, one of the oldest formats, is a very slow paced game, and we don’t usually see batsmen going big. But players like Brendon McCullum and Chris Gayle changed how they approached the game and went aggressive. Gayle even holds the record for hitting a six off the very first ball of a test match. Ben Stokes, who’s been the best allrounder for England for so many years, and now the England Test Team captain is at the top of the list with 109. Here is a list of top 10 players with the most sixes in test history. 

Most sixes in ODI cricket:

Credit: Crictracker

ODIs are exciting, an equal blend of patience and aggression, where both skills are equally required. This format has seen some huge innings by great batsmen. We have even seen players like Rohit Sharma hit 16 maximums in a single ODI innings, but the record for the most sixes in a single ODI innings stays with Eoin Morgan, where he smashed Afghanistan for 17 in an ICC ODI World Cup match in 2019. Shahid Afridi remains at the top of the list of top 10 batsmen with most sixes in One day internationals with 351. 

Most sixes in t20 international cricket:

Credit: ICC

T20I cricket has expanded globally, and its record books now include every ICC member nation. Austria's Karanbir Singh moved past Rohit Sharma in 2026, while Rohit's 205 remains the highest completed T20I six tally by an Indian batter.

T20I totals move quickly because active players from every ICC member nation are included in the record book. This table deliberately keeps to the clearly established top five as of October 2026.

Most sixes in international cricket in all Formats:

Credit: ABP News

Across all three international formats combined, Rohit Sharma now owns the six-hitting record. His total reached 674 after India's ODI series against West Indies in October 2026, well clear of Chris Gayle's 553 and Shahid Afridi's 476.

Here's a list of players with the highest number of sixes in international cricket in all formats:

Most Sixes in the IPL:

Credit: 100 MB

Sixhitting is the most exciting part of the Indian Premier League. There can be matches when teams even fail to score 5 runs of the last over or some other matches when Rinku Singh can hit 5 sixes off the last 5 balls to win his team the match. But in terms of the number of maximums a player has hit, no one comes close to Chris Gayle. He had an aura, and instilled a fear in the lives of bowlers. Here’s a list of players with the highest number of sixes in IPL history.

Conclusion:

As the sport evolves and grows to become more entertaining, we will only get to see more maximums being hit in the years to come. The shortest format, the T20s have given batsmen an extra incentive to take risks and go big, which has inspired some incredible batting performances. Who will become the next batsman to break the record for most sixes in international cricket? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure: the future of the sport is going to be super entertaining.

Six-hitting tables refreshed through October 6, 2026. Test and ODI career leaders were checked against ESPNcricinfo records; the all-format and T20I snapshots were checked against current 2026 record compilations, and IPL figures are through the end of IPL 2026.