Top 10 Grounds that have witnessed most sixes

Some of the great cricket grounds in the world have witnessed enthralling cricket over the years. The number of matches held at these grounds, combined with the type of pitches on offer have accounted for massive scores from teams and individuals alike. Short boundaries have also accounted for huge hits over the fence. These stats are from the time when ball by ball details have been recorded. The ‘+’ sign indicates that it might be more since, for the initial matches, ball by ball records were not maintained. Here’s a look at 10 Grounds where most sixes have been hit across all formats of the international game. 10. Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) – 594+ sixes: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA. (Photo by Darrian Traynor – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images) The iconic MCG is located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the 10th-largest stadium in the world and has the tallest light towers of any sporting venue. It was the venue for the world’s first Test cricket match in 1877, between Australia and England. The annual Boxing Day Test match is one of the MCG’s most popular events. 1327 players have hammered 13,074+ fours and 594+ sixes. These have accounted for 1,62,112 runs from 262 matches. 9. Adelaide Oval – 599+ sixes: ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images) This stadium in Adelaide, South Australia, is located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The stadium is mostly used for cricket and football, but also plays host to rugby league, rugby union, soccer, and concerts. The first Test match played at the Oval was held from 12–16 December 1884. 1158 players have hit 10,616+ fours and 599+ sixes. These have accounted for 1,18,346 runs from 158 matches. 8. R. Premadasa Stadium – 606 sixes: Premadasa Stadium Sri Lanka. (© ICC via Getty Images) Also known as Khettarama Stadium, Ranasinghe Premadasa Stadium or simply as the Premadasa Stadium is located on the Khettarama Road in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is referred to as the ‘Home of Sri Lankan cricket’. The inaugural ODI was played on 9 March 1986, Sri Lanka v Pakistan. On 28 August 1992, it hosted its inaugural Test match between Sri Lanka and Australia. 637 players have spanked 4981 fours and 606 sixes. These have accounted for 60,168 runs from 151 matches. 7. Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) – 664 sixes: Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia. (© Getty Images) The SCG is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team, the Sydney Sixers of the Big Bash League and the Sydney Swans Australian Football League club. The first Test was played at the SCG between 17 February and 21 February 1882. 1299 players have hit 14,158+ fours and 664 sixes. These have accounted for 1,00,000+ runs. Situated in Moore Park in the city’s east, the Sydney Cricket Ground is one of the world’s most famous cricketing venues. 6. Kensington Oval – 683 sixes: Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, (West Indies 27 matches 1948-1993). (Photo Source: Getty Images) The Kensington Oval has been home to Pickwick CC since 1882, and originally a pasture on a plantation 600 yards from the coast, it has grown into one of the most impressive grounds in the Caribbean. It hosted the first England touring side (1895), the first combined West Indies side (against MCC in 1910-11) and was the scene of West Indies’ first Test in 1930. 827 players have hit 6177+ fours and 683 sixes. These have accounted for 68,000+ runs. 5. The Wanderers Stadium – 691 sixes: The Wanderers Stadium. (© Getty Images) Known as the ‘Bullring’ because of its intimidating atmosphere for visiting teams the Wanderers has a rich history. It was the third Test ground in Johannesburg following the Old Wanderers Stadium and Ellis Park. In 2003, it hosted the World Cup final, as Australia eased to victory over India, and in March 2006, it was the scene of the most extraordinary ODI in history, when South Africa successfully chased Australia’s total of 434 for 4. 682 players have hit 6320+ fours and 691 sixes. These have accounted for 57,998 runs from 100 matches. 4. Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium – 868 sixes: The Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP/Getty Images) Also called Mirpur Stadium, this ground in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh is located 10 kilometres away from the city centre in Mirpur. It was originally constructed for football in the late 1980s, and first hosted matches at the 1987 Asian Club Championship. The venue was taken over by the Bangladesh Cricket Board in 2004, replacing the Bangabandhu National Stadium as the home of both the men’s and women’s national teams. 426 players have hit 5667 fours and 868 sixes. These have accounted for 57035 runs from 130 matches. 3. Eden Park – 958+ sixes: Eden Park, New Zealand. (© Getty Images) Tests have been played at Eden Park since 1929-30 and the ground hosted New Zealand’s first Test victory, against West Indies in 1955-56. But it is also the scene of a dark day in New Zealand Test cricket history when, on 28 March 1955, the hosts collapsed to their lowest Test score – 26 all out – against England. Cricket is not the only sport played there; there’s rugby union, too. 951 players have hit 7455+ fours and 958+ sixes. These have accounted for 74454 runs from 133 matches. 2. Harare Sports Club – 1023 sixes: Harare Sports Club, Zimbabwe. (© Getty Images) Surrounded by jacaranda trees and with a beautiful gabled pavilion, Harare Sports Club is in the heart of the city. It is bordered by the heavily-guarded presidential palace on one side and the prestigious Royal Harare Gold Club on another. HSC hosted Zimbabwe’s first Test in October 1992 and has been the country’s major Test and ODI venue since. HSC is also home to Zimbabwe Cricket, the country’s board. 629 players have hit 7870+ fours and 1023 sixes. These have accounted for 85,000+ runs. 1. Sharjah Cricket Stadium – 1,366 sixes: SHARJAH, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. (Photo credit should read RABIH MOGHRABI/AFP/Getty Images) The Sharjah Cricket Stadium, in the United Arab Emirates, was built in the early 1980s and very quickly became a regular home for tournaments as the popularity of ODIs exploded following India’s World Cup win in 1983. Between 1984 and 2003 the ground hosted 198 ODIs and four Tests (in 2002 when Pakistan played games there due to political instability at home), attracting good crowds, mainly from the area’s large Asian expat population. 783 players have hit 7315 fours and 1366 sixes. These have accounted for 97,691 runs from 244 matches. All stats updated till 21st August 2016. Also read: Top 10 Biggest victory margins by balls remaining in ODIs