10 Players with best balls per six ratio since World Cup 2015
Here let's have a look at the batsmen who have most frequently hit maximums, in terms of balls taken per six, since the 2015 World Cup (minimum 35 sixes)
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The recently concluded 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League was witness to a series of blitzkrieg from power-hitters who kept the excitement high by hitting those big sixes or as they call it- the ‘maximums’. Andre Russell of KKR hit 59 sixes in just 13 outings and was celebrated by fans throughout. It’s a treat for the fans as the next big event is the Cricket World Cup which is to be held in England and Wales and the pitches there have been a paradise for the batsmen and has seen many big totals in the past four years.
The ICC’s showpiece event, starting on May 30, will be Chris Gayle’s final World Cup and fans will have to bear the pain of bidding goodbye to the one last representative of the ‘Golden Era’ in cricket. But the positive is that we get to witness the fireworks for one last time. But there will be more candidates who are all ready to set the stage on fire. There’s nothing more exciting than a glorious six hit in the most crafty or brutal manner.
A total of 463 sixes were hit in World Cup 2015 and this time the anticipation is even higher. So here let’s have a look at the batsmen who have most frequently hit maximums, in terms of balls taken per six, since the 2015 World Cup (We have taken a threshold of minimum 35 sixes):
10. Eoin Morgan (England) – 30.86:
At the tenth spot in this list is the England captain Eoin Morgan. Rohit Sharma and Morgan are the only two players who have hit 100 sixes or more since the conclusion of World Cup 2015. Considering this category is about the last four-year period, Morgan has been one of the most revolutionary names since he changed the face of the entire English brigade in limited-overs cricket.
Morgan was surprisingly given leadership duties just ahead of the previous World Cup and the team had a debacle of a tournament but this time the home team are the favourites to lift the title. Besides his captaincy skills, Morgan has also been a great batsman and top run-getters with 3039 runs since. In his past 75 innings, Morgan has hit 100 sixes and his balls/six ratio is 30.86.
9. Rohit Sharma (India) – 30.59:
The Hitman of Indian cricket, Rohit Sharma is the one holding many records especially those concerned with hitting sixes. In fact, the 32-year-old has hit the fifth highest number of sixes in One-Day International Cricket with 218 sixes in 200 innings. He’s only second to MS Dhoni (224 sixes in 289 innings) amongst Indians. He also holds the joint record for the most number of sixes in an ODI inning (16) along with AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle.
But the most notable record of the Indian vice-captain in this category is that he has amassed the most number of sixes since the 2015 World Cup. He has hit the maximum 130 times in the past four years. Considering these 71 innings, Sharma’s ball/six ratio is 30.59.
Rohit has his own ways of dispatching the ball over the ropes – he isn’t the most aggressive of the lot on the surface but really uses the timing and his judgement to get the big runs. Once he gets going most of his runs come through boundaries and the sixes off short balls is just a treat to watch.
8. Glenn Maxwell (Australia) – 29.87:
One of the most not so shocking names in the list is that of Glenn Maxwell who has established himself as a reliable batting all-rounder over the years. In his career span of 90 innings, Maxwell has hit 87 sixes – that’s as many as the batting great Matthew Hayden’s number of career sixes in ODIs.
This year, ahead of the World Cup and the Ashes, Maxwell opted not to play in the IPL and instead signed with Lancashire to play county cricket and gain a proper experience of English conditions. This will only polish the underlying talent of the right-handed batsman who has fired with big shots more often than not.
He has also batted with a commendable strike rate throughout his career and since the previous edition of the World Cup he has amassed 38 sixes in 45 innings and his balls/six ratio adds up to 29.87, the eight best in the list.
7. Marcus Stoinis (Australia) – 28.61:
Since the likes of Brett Lee and Shane Watson, the new favourite of Australia’s meme society is Marcus Stoinis. But that’s after he became the frontline all-rounder of the Australian cricket team. The pace-bowling all-rounder first rose to prominence when he scored his first and only hundred till now in ODIs, a mindblowing and undefeated 146, against New Zealand in January 2017.
That was the first time that the world became aware of the right-handed batsman’s six hitting abilities. Chasing a target of 287 in Auckland, Australia fell seven runs short but Stoinis was hailed as a hero because of his unparalleled contribution to the game wherein he hit 11 sixes and 9 fours, coming in at number 7.
This World Cup edition will be his first and he will enter into the competition with a record of 28.61 ratio of balls/six since he has amassed 36 sixes 31 innings till now in his career.
6. Najibullah Zadran (Afghanistan) – 25.77:
We all remember Zadran for when he hit his maiden ODI fifty in the tournament-opener for Afghanistan in the 2015 World Cup. He scored 83 against Ireland, mostly in boundaries. He is four years more mature and polished now and this middle-order batsman and all-rounder has improved the pinch-hitting abilities.
Since the previous World Cup, Zadran has amassed 957 runs in 36 outings and that includes 39 sixes. His balls/six ratio ends up to be 25.77, the sixth best in this category. Zadran now has a hundred (104* vs Ireland) and nine fifties in his ODI career.
He is more of a popularly known as a stand and deliver players who likes to see the ball and hit the ball without a lot of thought behind it. Respecting the delivery or the bowler isn’t really high on his list and hence consistency of getting the runs isn’t a parameter to judge him on.
5. Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka) – 23.08:
Some names and their capabilities can literally amaze us and one such player is Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera. As a seamer, he has been deemed as a proper wicket-taker, despite being criticized for often being expensive. But over the years, especially in the past few years, Thisara has become more of a batting all-rounder than a bowling all-rounder. And the notable performances are a testimony to the change.
This year in January, Perera scored his first ever ODI hundred and finished with 140 off 74 balls that included 13 sixes and 8 fours. Coming out to bat at number 7, with a batting attack completely in shambles, Perera not only safeguarded the reputation of the team but also the number seven position.
Since the conclusion of the 2015 World Cup, average balls taken by Perera for each six is 23.08 and he is fifth in the list. He still has a role to play in the current Sri Lanka team that is in England to play the 2019 edition of the ICC mega event.
4. Shimron Hetmyer (Windies) – 22.64:
One of the most promising players of the West Indies brigade is the 22-year-old top-order batsman Shimron Hetmyer. The young pinch hitter became famous when he guided the Windies U19 team to their first ever World Cup title in 2016. The left-handed talent was then recruited by the CPL franchise Guyana Amazon Warriors for the 2016 edition wherein he impressed all and that earned him his international debut- Test and ODI- both in 2017.
Hetmyer, a powerful striker of the ball has however been most effective in the ODI format, with 36 sixes in 24 innings the young Windies talent has earned himself a spot in the list of players with the least balls taken per six since the 2015 World Cup. Hetmyer has a balls/six ratio of 22.64 which is the fourth best.
So far he has looked like a proper slogger who likes to clear his front leg and launch into the ball. As Hetmyer spends more time at the highest level he will feel the need to evolve the game and that will determine how successful he ends up being.
3. Jos Buttler (England) – 21.21:
Rely on the English wicketkeeper Jos Buttler to hit those impressive tons with remarkable strike rates. The star batsman, regarded as one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen in the world currently has hit seven out of his eight hundreds with a strike rate of more than 100 that despite walking into bat really low in the bulked-up English batting order.
Buttler made his ODI debut in 2012 and in 108 innings has amassed 117 sixes. His crazy strike rates in most of his knocks, especially his tons, is due to his ability of big hitting abilities. Since the conclusion of the 2015 Cricket World Cup, Buttler has hit 85 sixes in 61 innings. Hence, he is third amongst the players highest balls/six ratio (21.21).
What makes Buttler even more dangerous is his range of shots, he doesn’t just strike it down the ground or on the on-side but is good with improvisation and can successfully execute the scoop and lap shots even against the faster bowlers.
2. Hardik Pandya (India) – 17.42:
The Indian team has an extremely polished power-hitter in the form of their pace bowling all-rounder from Baroda. Pandya made his ODI debut in October 2016 and has amassed 36 sixes in 29 innings. While chasing a target of 339 against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final, Hardik Pandya stood alone while wickets kept crumbling down for India. He scored 76 off 43 that included 6 sixes and 4 fours.
Stepping into his first ever World Cup, Pandya is in amazing form and had a great IPL season this year with 402 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 191.43. Since his debut, that was after the previous edition of the World Cup, he holds the record of the second highest balls/six ratio of 17.42.
To start off with he would just dispatch the spinners over the ropes but as his experience and skill has been evolving Pandya is now equally good against pace. He has also to an extent mastered the helicopter shots – he stays back deep in the crease which gives him a better chance even if the bowler delivers a yorker.
1. Chris Gayle (Windies) – 10.72:
With 314 sixes in his career, the ‘Universe Boss’ has amassed the second highest number of sixes in ODI cricket, just behind Shahid Afridi who finished with 351 career sixes. Chris Gayle hit 16 sixes in his 215 off 147 against Zimbabwe on February 24, 2015. It was a World Cup match that was held in Canberra and Gayle became the one with the highest number of sixes in a World Cup innings. West Indies secured a crushing victory of 73 runs (D/L method) over Zimbabwe.
Since the 2015 edition of the world tournament, Gayle has hit 76 sixes in 19 innings and holds the record of the highest balls/six ratio of 10.72. The power-hitter and the extremely talented ‘Henry’ Gayle has already announced that he will retire after the conclusion of the tournament.
Chris Gayle’s game or six hitting abilities need no description and though his prowess with age have subdued, he continues to be a force to reckon with even in World Cup 2019.
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