Stats: Players who can break Shahid Afridi's record for most ODI sixes

With 351 sixes, Shahid Afridi tops the list of batsmen who have hit most sixes in the ODI format; he has 80 more than the next best Sanath Jayasuriya (270). Playing for nearly 20 years after making his debut at a young age of 16, Afridi ensured he piled a mountain of sixes in the ODI cricket which is not going to be an easy task for most others to break.

Though hitting a six is a lot easier now especially in limited-overs cricket, a player needs to have a long career for breaking Afridi’s record, say, he plays up to 300 ODIs or he must arrive at an early age as in this era it isn’t usual to see players last up to 36-37 years.

Here are a few players who have a chance of breaking Afridi’s mighty record considering their numbers till now:

Among the active ones, who can last another 6 years – England skipper Eoin Morgan, New Zealand opener Martin Guptill and Indian opener Rohit Sharma have hit over 120 ODI sixes so far. England wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler also has an outside chance despite hitting only 74 sixes so far as he is aged 26 and possibly has 10 years of International cricket unlike Morgan, Guptill and Rohit who recently entered into their 31st year.

Among the four, Rohit’s six hitting frequency is the lowest but in the last 4 years, he has hit 101 sixes in just 71 innings. He now needs to play more ODIs as he has been missing quite a few in the past 1-2 years due to injuries and with the management opting to field a second string side against weaker opponents.

It is no wonder that the above-mentioned players find a place in the top 5 six hitters in ODI in the last 4 years, a list led by AB de Villiers. The 33-year-old from South Africa also has a chance but given the interest, he has shown in playing the International cricket, Afridi can breathe easy.

Most sixes by individuals in ODIs since 2013:

(Stats as on July 12, 2017)