Who Hit the Most Sixes in T20 International Cricket?

T20 cricket was first introduced in 2003 on June 13 when the first-ever match in this format was played between county teams – Warwickshire and Somerset. However, it took a couple more years for the format to enter the international arena. 

Australia and New Zealand locked horns in the first-ever T20 International match in February 2005. As many as 17 sixes were hit in the game, and the shortest-format caravan started attracting crowds with its fast-paced cricket.

Almost 3000 matches have been played so far in the format at the highest level, and several batters have hit a plethora of sixes. Only a few have been able to smash the ball out of the ground consistently. The T20I form of the game has witnessed many records being broken over the years, and modern-day cricket has also made scoring 300 looks possible in just 20 overs.

More often than not, it is looked at as a batting-friendly format as the pitches are also made with the entertainment quotient in mind. Add to it the small ground sizes and big bat edges which make six-hitting extremely easy. 

However, some of the players don’t bother with any such thing while hitting maximums. On that note, let us have a look at ten players with the most sixes in T20 international cricket.

1. Rohit Sharma – 205 sixes

Rohit Sharma is at the top of this list of players with the highest sixes in T20 cricket at the highest level. He smacked 205 maximums in his T20I career before calling it quits from the format after leading India to the T20 World Cup trophy in 2024. He played a staggering 159 matches for the men in blue and is the only player in the world to send the ball over the boundary more than 200 times in T20Is.

Known as Hitman, the India skipper in the other two formats is also the leading six-hitter in international cricket while he has smacked 331 maximums in ODIs, the second most in the world. In his illustrious T20I career, Rohit ended up scoring 4231 runs at an average of 32.05 and a strike rate of 140.89 with as many as five centuries and 32 fifties to his name.

Having retired from the format already, Rohit’s record is bound to be broken at some point but for now, he is enjoying the numero uno position. Rohit has hit some of the most record-breaking sixes in cricket and it is no surprise that he tops thai list.

2. Martin Guptill – 173 sixes

Martin Guptill might not have played for New Zealand since 2022, but he has stuck in second place among the leading six-hitters in T20 internationals. Opening the innings, he brought the laurels to the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on multiple occasions and smashed 173 sixes in his career. Guptill represented the Kiwis in 122 matches in 13 years of cricket played in the shortest format.

He scored 3531 runs at an average of 31.81 and a strike rate of 135.7 with two centuries and a massive 20 half-centuries. It is still unknown if Guptill will don the New Zealand jersey again after declining the central contract. But he will forever be part of the cricketing folklore in the Kiwi nation because of what he has done for the country, especially in the shortest form of the game.

3. Nicholas Pooran – 148 sixes

West Indies’ aggressive wicketkeeper-batter Nicholas Pooran is among the players with the record for most sixes in T20I matches. The left-hander has so far smacked 148 maximums in his career and is still among a few active players in this list who are certain to climb up for the kind of cricket they play.

It is only a matter of time before Pooran goes past Guptill and Rohit in this prestigious list as he is known to hit the ball in the air every now and then. He has so far played 103 T20Is for the Caribbean side, and in 94 innings, Pooran has amassed 2254 runs. His average could be only 26.83, but that matters little in this format, while the strike rate of 137.1 is admirable.

Surprisingly, Pooran is yet to notch up a three-figure score in T20 Internationals but has scored 13 fifties. For a batter like him, a century doesn’t seem far, and naturally, more sixes are expected to come from his bat as well.

4. Jos Buttler – 146 sixes

England’s T20 World Cup-winning captain, Jos Buttler, is in fourth place in the list of top six hitters in T20I history. He has been playing for his country in the format since 2011 and is not done yet after playing a staggering 129 matches. Buttler has smacked 146 maximums so far and is expected to climb up in this list with Pooran in competition.

Buttler is a white-ball specialist; hence, unlike Rohit, he doesn’t feature among players with the most maximums in international cricket. Having said that, he is no less a player with 3389 runs to his name in the shortest form of the sport at an average of 35.67 and a strike rate of 147.02.

Buttler has crossed the 100-run mark only once in his illustrious career, which again will raise a lot of eyebrows among the fans. However, the man has notched up 25 fifty-plus scores, making sure to play match-winning knocks for his country more often than not.

5. Muhammad Waseem – 145 sixes

Not many would’ve expected that a player from the United Arab Emirates would make it to this list. But Muhammad Waseem has showcased immense hitting skills so far for his country to be among the players with the highest number of sixes in T20 international games.

Interestingly, Waseem has played only 63 matches so far in T20Is, and hitting 145 sixes already is a top effort. He has scored 2294 runs so far at an average of 38.88 and a strike rate of 156.26 with three centuries and 17 half-centuries. Along with 145 maximums in the format, Waseem has also smashed 183 fours in his career so far.

6. Suryakumar Yadav – 145 sixes

India skipper Suryakumar Yadav is sixth on the list of leading six-hitters in T20 internationals. He started playing the format only in 2021 and, within four years, has excelled like no one else in white-ball cricket for India. Surya, India’s AB de Villiers, has so far played 78 matches in T20Is to send the ball out of the ground on 145 occasions in his career so far.

Surya is expected to play for a few more years and being the captain, he seems certain to lead the team in the 2026 T20 World Cup as well. In 74 innings played so far in the format, the man has amassed 2294 runs at an average of 38.88 and a strike rate of 167.86 with three centuries and 17 fifties to his name.

With a few more years still left in his career, Suryakumar Yadav, one of the leading boundary scorers in international cricket in the last few years,  is expected to complete at least 200 sixes in T20Is by the time he calls it quits.

7. Glenn Maxwell  137 sixes

It is no surprise that Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is amongst the top six hitters in T20I history. He is in the seventh position in this aspect, having smacked the ball over the boundary 137 times in his illustrious career so far. Maxwell made his debut in the format for Australia in 2012 and hasn’t looked back at it at all since then.

The all-rounder has played 116 T20 International matches for his country and scored 2664 runs at an average of 29.93 and a strike rate of 154.97, which is admirable for a middle-order batter. Maxwell has joint-most centuries in the shortest format, and Rohit Sharma has crossed the 100-run mark five times.

He has also scored 11 half-centuries with 224 fours to his name. He might not play for long with age, not on his side, but expect Maxwell to play a few more memorable knocks and, with it, more sixes before he retires.

8. Paul Stirling – 129 sixes

Paul Stirling is a legendary figure in Ireland cricket, and he deserves to be on this list for the aggressive cricket he has played throughout his storied career. Stirling has smacked 129 sixes in his T20I career so far, and it goes without saying that he has hit the highest number of sixes in Ireland’s T20 international games.

The man has played 147 matches for his country in the format and amassed 3655 runs at an average of 27.07 and a strike rate of almost 135. He has also scored one century and 24 fifties, with an unbeaten 115 being his highest score. The former Ireland skipper has also hit 425 fours, showcasing his finesse with the bat for Ireland.

9. Aaron Finch – 125 sixes

Aaron Finch is the second Australian player with the best record for most sixes in T20I matches. For the unversed, Finch led Australia to their maiden T20 World Cup title in 2021 and played admirably well, opening the innings throughout his career. Finch’s highest score of 172 in T20Is shows that he was among the best players to ever play the format.

He played 103 matches for Australia and amassed 3120 runs at an average of 34.28 and a strike rate of 142.53. The former Aussie skipper crossed the 100-run mark twice in his career to go with 19 half-centuries, even as he smacked 309 fours and 125 maximums.

With close competition from the players below him in this list, Finch is likely to vanish from the top 10 soon as players like David Miller cross him in this aspect.

10. Evin Lewis – 124 sixes

Evin Lewis and Chris Gayle both have hit 124 sixes in their T20I career. But Lewis has managed to trump the Universe Boss to feature among the players with the most sixes in T20 International Cricket. The only reason why Lewis is ahead of Gayle is that he smacked 124 sixes in fewer appearances than the latter. 

Lewis has so far played 61 T20Is in his career and smashed 1643 runs at an average of 29.33 and a strike rate of 152, with two centuries and 12 fifties to his name. His 124 sixes have always been long and a delight to watch for the cricket fans. Along with the massive maximums, the southpaw has also hit 125 fours in his T20I career for the West Indies so far. With a few more years left in his career, Lewis is expected to climb this list, much to the delight of the Caribbean cricket fans.

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