In the longest format of cricket, sheer patience and technique are required by every player. During the evolution of ODI and T20I cricket, test cricket was considered a slow format by several cricket enthusiasts. However, the format has always represented the game in its truest sense.
In recent years, the modern-day players have carried a different attacking approach in the five-day matches. Unconventional shots and a hunger for high-scoring totals have changed the format utterly and as a result, boundaries and huge shots have also become more common in test cricket.
Consequently, England‘s tour of India redefined how test cricket would be played in the modern era. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the top 5 test series with the most sixes:
#5 Pakistan vs New Zealand (2014): 59 Sixes
In 2014, Pakistan and New Zealand played a three-match test series in the United Arab Emirates. Brendon McCullum, who has always been famous for his aggressive batting style, was leading the Blackcaps while Misbah-ul-Haq was the skipper of Pakistan.
In the first match, only five sixes were scored and the Blackcaps suffered a huge defeat. However, a total of 19 big hits were witnessed in the second match, Pakistan’s Younis Khan scored five sixes while Tim Southee smashed four. Nevertheless, the big highlight came in the third test, where Brendon McCullum played a magnificent 202-run innings off just 188 deliveries, in which he smashed 11 sixes.
In New Zealand’s first innings, a total of 22 sixes were scored as the Blackcaps won the match by 80 runs and an innings. McCullum scored the most sixes, 13, in the series and he was also the Blackcaps’ highest run scorer with 347 runs behind Pakistani batter Mohammed Hafeez, who garnered 418 runs.
#4 2013/14 Ashes in Australia: 65 sixes
David Warner was the top scorer of the 2013-14 Ashes with 523 runs
The Ashes are one of the most prestigious as well as oldest test series in the history of cricket. However, the 2013/14 edition, which took place in Australia, was a nightmare for the English cricket team. The Aussies massively dominated the five-match series as they recorded a 5-0 triumph over the Poms.
With five sixes, David Warner was the leading run-scorer of the series with 523 runs. However, Australia’s Brad Haddin, who scored 493 runs, had 9 sixes, the most in the series. The Aussies accumulated a total of 40 big hits while the Poms smashed 25 sixes.
Former Australian bowler Mitchell Johnson’s extraordinary bowling figures were also a major reason behind England’s complete whitewash as visitors. Johnson picked up a total of 37 wickets, which was 15 more than second-placed Ryan Harris, who had 22 wickets to his name.
#3 South Africa’s tour of India (2019): 65 Sixes
The rivalry between India and South Africa has also been crisp and intriguing. However, South Africa’s tour of India in 2019 was a one-sided affair as the Men in Blue recorded three significant victories against the Proteas.
India’s Rohit Sharma was the highest scorer of the three-match series as he scored 529 runs, and also smashed 19 sixes. After Sharma, Mayank Agarwal was the second-highest scorer with 340 runs and eight sixes. Umesh Yadav also did a small cameo of 31 runs in 10 deliveries, where he tonked five eye-catching sixes.
On the other side, Dean Elgar scored 4 sixes, the most for South Africa. In the 3-0 triumph, India won two of the matches by the margin of an innings. In the lopsided series, a total of 65 sixes were scored, out of which 44 were accumulated by the Men in Blue.
#2 2023 Ashes in England: 74 sixes
In 2023, Stokes broke the record for the highest number of sixes during a single Ashes series
In 2023, the Ashes were retained by Australia as the series ended 2-2, however, all the matches were full of thrilling action and excitement. It was also the first test series where Brendon McCullum’s England displayed their ‘Bazball’ style.
A total of then-record 74 maximums and 642 boundaries were scored in the five-match series. English skipper Ben Stokes scored 405 runs and also smashed 15 sixes, which was the highest by an individual in the series.
The top scorer of the series was Australian opening batsman Usman Khawaja, who scored 496 runs. The Aussies won the initial two matches of the series but the hosts managed to level the series by winning two of the last three matches.
#1 England’s tour of India (2024): 102 sixes
Numerous records were broken during England’s recent tour of India. After losing the first match due to a batting order collapse, the Men in Blue eventually recorded a 4-1 series win over Ben Stokes’ England.
A total of 102 sixes were scored in the five-match test series. Yashasvi Jaiswal was the top-scorer of the series with 712 runs. Moreover, he also smashed 26 sixes, which is the highest by any Indian in a test series in history. The young Indian batter scored two double-centuries and also became the fourth youngest Indian to score 1000 runs in test cricket.
After Jaiswal, Shubman Gill was the second top-scorer with 452 runs and also had 11 maximums to his name. On the other side, Zak Crawley, Tom Hartley, and Jonny Bairstow clobbered six maximums each, the most for the Poms.