Most Sixes in ODI World Cup History – Top 10 Batsmen

There was a time when all cricket batsmen’s least favorite shot was to hit a six. There could be several reasons for why this was done, but the slow nature of the cricket game was one of the primary ones. So rather than taking a chance by hitting lofted shots, batsmen would always try to stay consistent in the crease. Therefore, the batsmen’s style of play was the same i.e, defensive, whether or not the game was a test or an ODI.
However, T20 cricket brought about a unique shift in cricket that no one ever expected. The most prominent and apparent change was the dominance of batter over the bowler.
Currently, batsmen are getting better at smashing sixes and fours, which helps them win games. The batsmen in World Cups from past years continue to follow the same routine, and they are extremely rewarding for every team.
Keith Fletcher from England was the first batsman to hit six in World Cup history. He achieved this feat against India at Lords in 1975 World Cup.
India will host the World Cup in 2023, and Indian cricket fans will have big hopes for their batters. Batsmen will be more dominant in ODI matches because the pitches will be easier to bat on. This article will look at the players with most sixes in ODI World Cup history.

Chris Gayle | 49

Chris Gayle hit 26 sixes in just six World Cup 2015 matches, one of the most in a single ODI World Cup. Overall, he hit 49 sixes in his World Cup career. On average, In every match he smashed more than one six in his World Cup match.

Chris Gayle is also known as “Universe Boss” due to extraordinary batting skills. When he started his ODI career, he was a slow batter but later on his strike rate improved and became the fastest scoring batter of the World. Here is his number of sixes in each World Cup.

AB De Villiers | 37

AB De Villiers is known as Mr. 360 or Allien of cricket for his aggressive style of batting. Overall, he hit 37 World Cup sixes in his career and ranked as number 02 batsmen on this list.

World Cup 2015 was an excellent WC for AB De Villier’s bat, scoring 21 sixes in the season. Although he retired from all forms of cricket he still holds most of the records in cricket.

Ricky Ponting | 31

Ricky Ponting has scored 31 sixes in ODI World Cup history. Overall, He represented Australia in 05 World Cup matches starting from 1996 to ending in 2011.

His highest 13 sixes came in the 2003 World Cup, which Australia won. World Cup 2011 and 2007 remained very unusual for Ricky Ponting’s career, as he hit only single six in both World Cups. His number of sixes in his World Cup career are as follows;

Brendon McCullum | 29

Although Brendon McCullum retired from all forms of cricket, he still holds the record of most sixes for New Zealand team in WC history. Ovreall, McCullum hit 29 sixes in his ODI WC career. In World Cup 2015, he hit 17 sixes in a single season of World Cup.

Hence, Brendon McCullum was not an ordinary cricket batsmen and player. Infact, he was the real hitter of modern day cricket with the right batting approach.

Herschelle Gibbs | 28

Herschelle Gibbs remained an underrated batsmen from South Africa who has 28 sixes in World Cup matches. In fact, Gibbs was the first batter in the World Cup to introduce the concept of hitting the most sixes. Before Yuvraj Singh, Gibbbs was the first batter to hit 06 sixes in the World Cup. He was one of the best openers of the 2007 World Cup.

Sanath Jayasuriya | 27

Sanath Jayasuriya was the true modern-day hitter. He established the fast-paced batting style in One-Day International cricket. Overall, he smashed 27 World Cup sixes for Sri Lanka. He proved to be an inspiration to other young players who continued to look up to him. His maximum number of sixes 14 came in the 2007 World Cup. 

Sachin Tendulkar | 27

Sachin Tendulkar has various cricket records in World Cup and bilateral series. Additionally, he also holds the record for most sixes in the World Cup and has his name among  top 10 batters of WC history. He played for India in every World Cup from 1992 to 2011 WC. His maximum number of sixes came in 2011 WC which were 08 in numbers.

Eoin Morgan | 26

Eoin Morgan played for England from 2011 to 2019 ODI World Cup. He hit less than 04 sixes in the first 3 World Cups 2007, 2011 and 2015. But in the 2019 WC, he hit 22 World Cup sixes, that include 17 sixes in a single world cup match against Zimbabwe. Of course, he was the winning captain of the 2019 World Cup.

Sourav Ganguly | 25

Sourav Ganguly is one of the best captains in Indian cricket history. With an outstanding career, he smashed 25 World Cup sixes. World Cup 2003 was very memorable for Sourav Ganguly, when he hit 15 sixes in WC. This was the highest WC sixes by Sourav Ganguly in his WC career.