Five current players with most Test sixes in the last five years
Limited overs cricket has had such a profound influence on Test cricket that run rates have been soaring even in the traditional form of the game. No longer are 450+ totals considered impossible to chase by teams in the fourth innings.
Test cricket has undergone a major change and captains have preferred to pick more and more attacking players on their side. Take the example of David Warner, who has blasted more than 15 hundreds in the longest form in the past five years.
Also read: 5 batsmen with most centuries in Tests
He came into the Australian national team as a T20 specialist but is one of their best Test batsmen currently. There are many such examples to show how Test cricket has transformed. In a way, it is as if the players have taken it upon themselves to help viewers maintain their interest in the game.
In this context, it is interesting to note that the number of sixes per game has also been on the rise. In the last five years, the most number of sixes in Tests was tonked by former Kiwi skipper, Brendon McCullum, who has 66 to his name since 2012. The next five are all players who are still active.
Take a look at the list of current players who have smashed the most number of sixes in the last five years.
#5 Ben Stokes and Younis Khan - 33
The England all-rounder is quickly earning a reputation as a fearsome stroke maker in all forms of the game. A vital part in the lower middle order for England, Stokes' role is to be aggressive and take the attack to the bowlers.
Stokes has 33 sixes in the format in the last five years despite having made his debut only in 2013. Interestingly, 11 of those sixes came in a scintillating knock of 258 against the South Africans in Cape Town.
Younis Khan, the veteran Pakistan middle order batsman, is a surprise name on the list with as many sixes as Ben Stokes. He has always been an aggressive batsman but has never been considered a six hitter. Despite that, Younis has 33 sixes since 2012 in Tests, with a maximum of four in a game against England at the Oval last year.