Cricket has revolutionized over the years, decades and centuries ever since its inception. Earlier, only Test cricket was played between two countries – England and Australia. Slowly, more countries started playing the sport, and there were timeless Tests that witnessed extremely defensive cricket. As time passed, the Test matches were restricted to just five days, even as soon as 60 overs per side. One-day cricket was also introduced.
The overs got reduced to 50 overs per side in the format and it attracted the crowd the most. Coloured jerseys, cricket under lights and the result in just one day made it appealing for the viewers unlike Tests. In the 21st century, things changed dramatically with the inception of the T20 format at the international level.
Everything changed with T20 cricket becoming fast popular and as years passed, the style of batting also changed and the players with no fears began enjoying a lot more success. Unlike the yesteryears of the sport, hitting a six is no longer a challenge for a batter.
The physique of the players these days, shorter boundaries and thicker bat edges have made it easy to stand and deliver the biggest maximums. In fact, there is a race among players to check who can hit the biggest sixes in international cricket.
On that note, let us have a look at the top 10 longest six in cricket history
Top 10 Longest Six in Cricket History
1. Shahid Afridi – 153 metres
Unsurprisingly, Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi is top of the list of record-breaking sixes in cricket history. The marauding batter unofficially holds the record for hitting the longest maximum in the sport. He achieved this special feat during an ODI against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2013.
Afridi smacked the Proteas bowler Ryan McLaren out of the ground as the ball travelled a staggering 153 metres, much to the shock and delight of the fans. Even though Pakistan lost that match by 34 runs, Afridi’s longest six remained the talking point. It remains the record for the longest six in cricket.
Afridi was a special cricketer for Pakistan, as his all-around game impressed many. In his international career, he smacked a staggering 476 sixes, many of them travelling a long distance, and also accounted for 541 wickets with the ball.
2. Brett Lee – 130 metres
A specialist bowler smashing one of the longest sixes by cricket players is a massive surprise. But Australia’s fast bowler Brett Lee turned the myth into reality as he smashed the ball for a six that travelled 130 metres against the West Indies in 2005.
The incident happened at the Gabba in Brisbane, with Lee smacking bowler Daren Powell for a maximum as the ball went over the roof of the stands and into the practice nets outside the stadium.
Known mostly for his bowling, Lee scored 47 runs in that innings, even as Australia won the match comfortably by 379 runs. With his fast pace, Brett Lee hurried a lot of batters throughout his career and ended up picking 310 Test, 380 ODIs and 28 T20I wickets during his storied international career.
Brett Lee was not a bad batsman as he scored 1451 runs in the longest format of the game while mustering 1176 runs in ODIs. He could only score 101 runs in 12 innings in the shortest form of the sport.
3. Martin Guptill – 127 metres
New Zealand opener Martin Guptill might not have played international cricket for his country since 2021. But the man has scripted his name in history, smacking one of the biggest sixes in international cricket. In 2012, Guptill stunned South Africa’s Lonwade Tsotsobe with a 127-metre gigantic hit.
The ball travelled the distance as it hit the roof of the stands of the Westpac Stadium in Wellington. Thanks to Guptill’s knock, the Kiwis won comfortably by six wickets. As for the Kiwi opener, the man is not an ordinary player for what he has done for New Zealand Cricket.
He has played 47 Tests, 198 ODIs and 122 T20Is, amassing 2586, 7346 and 3531 runs across formats, respectively. In his illustrious career, Guptill also smashed 23 centuries to go with 76 half-centuries.
4. Liam Livingstone – 122 metres
England all-rounder Liam Livingstone is known to smash big hits in his career, and again, it is no surprise that he is among the top players with the longest sixes. Pakistan bowler Haris Rauf was at the receiving end of his wrath back in 2021.
In the 16th over of the innings of a T20I, Livingstone smashed the ball from Rauf over his head to clear the roof comfortably before eventually landing on a rugby pitch near the Headingley Stadium, travelling a stunning 122 metres.
The assault on the Pakistan bowlers had just begun with a six as Livingstone finished with a brisk 38 for England. Thanks to his quickfire knock, the Three Lions posted 200 runs on the board and won the match by 45 runs.
As for Livingstone, he has played 1 Test, 33 ODIs and 55 T20Is for England, hitting 102 maximums for his country at the highest level. His strike rate is improving immensely in white-ball cricket with experience, and it is no wonder he will be the next big thing for England as a finisher in the shorter forms of the sport.
5. Corey Anderson – 122 metres
Corey Anderson found his form against India in 2014 during an ODI, and he managed to smack one of the biggest sixes in international cricket. Anderson took on none other than Mohammed Shami for a staggering 122-metre six in the 44th over of the innings in the ODIs. The ball was smacked over the square leg boundary, and it landed on the roof of the stadium.
Anderson slammed an unbeaten 68 in the innings, which helped the Kiwis post 292 runs on the board. India lost seven wickets, losing the game by only 24 runs. Thanks to his knock, Anderson also won the Player of the Match award.
As far as his career at the highest level is concerned, Anderson turned up for the Kiwis in 13 Tests, 49 ODIs and 42 T20Is. Some of the matches in the shortest format were for the USA as well, and he looked to rejoice in playing international cricket again, albeit for a different country.
6. Mark Waugh – 120 metres
In the 20th century, to be precise, in 1999, hitting a six was considered a huge development. In that period, Australia’s Mark Waugh created history by sending the ball 120 metres far against New Zealand. Daniel Vettori was the bowler to face the wrath as Waugh smashed the bowler straight down the ground to etch his name in the record books.
The 120-metre six could be counted among the record-breaking sixes in cricket. This incident happened in the Australia vs New Zealand clash in Perth. For the unversed, Waugh was one of the better players to turn up for his country, playing in 128 Tests and 244 ODIs, scoring 8029 and 8500 runs, respectively, with a combined 38 centuries to their name.
7. Yuvraj Singh – 119 metres
Yuvraj Singh was the real sixer king of India before Rohit Sharma came onto the scene. Yuvraj was perfectly built for T20 cricket, as he took a toll on the Australian bowlers during the 2007 T20 World Cup. He smacked one of the opposition bowlers for a staggering 119 metres distance, and Yuvi then seemed to be one of the top players with the longest sixes.
Yuvraj was certainly, by no means, a fluke as a batter, thanks to his exceptional record. He played 40 Tests, 304 ODIs and 58 T20Is for India, amassing a total of 11678 runs with 17 scores in excess of 100 during his career. The southpaw also holds the record of smashing him for six consecutive sixes in a single over of Stuart Broad.
8. MS Dhoni – 118 metres
Hitting sixes at will is an art, and MS Dhoni mastered it with aplomb at the start of his career. On the 2009 tour of the Kiwi nation, New Zealand was at the receiving end of his assault when Dhoni, the then-Indian skipper, smashed a six that travelled a massive 118 metres. It was the golden period of not only Indian cricket but also of Dhoni, who had a Midas touch as captain.
He retired from international cricket in 2020 but is still actively playing in the Indian Premier League. Dhoni played in 90 Tests, 350 ODIs, and 98 T20Is for India at the international level, amassing more than 17000 runs, 16 centuries, and 18 fifties.
9. Shahid Afridi – 118 metres
Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi is yet again featured in the list of longest sixes by cricket players. He was in Australia when the man managed to be part of this list yet again. He tore apart the Aussie attack with his bowling to help the ball travel the distance of a massive 118 metres, making it among the longest six in T20, ODI and Test cricket.
This incident happened in 2005, and even after 19 years, the record-breaking maximum is still among the top 10 longest sixes in cricket history.
10. Chris Gayle – 116 metres
Universe Boss Chris Gayle has to be on the list when it comes to hitting sixes. The Indian bowlers were once again as Gayle launched an assault on them. In 2010, the southpaw spent his time in the middle as one of his sixes travelled a distance of 116 metres, much to the delight of the fans.
The fans love to see Gayle batting irrespective of the format. He has not played any international cricket since 2021 but is entertaining the viewers in different leagues across the world. For the unversed, Gayle, one of the leading boundary scorers in international cricket, played 483 international matches in his career smashing 553 sixes to go with scoring almost 19000 runs for the West Indies.
It is actually a blessing for the fans and even this record that Gayle is part of the list of players with the biggest sixes in international cricket.
FAQs
Shahid Afridi has hit the longest six in cricket history. In 2013, Afridi smashed the 153-metre-long six against South Africa in Johannesburg.
Yuvraj Singh has hit the longest six for India in the sport’s history as the ball travelled a 119-metre distance against Australia during the T20 World Cup in 2007.
The distance travelled by the longest six in cricket history is 153 metres by Shahid Afridi off Ryan McLaren in an ODI played in 2013.
The longest six in IPL history is 124 metres by Albie Morkel while playing for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
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