Nicholas Pooran showcased an outstanding performance for the West Indies in the first T20I of the current three-match series against South Africa. The game, held at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, saw the wicketkeeper-batsman exhibit his exceptional skills, finishing unbeaten on 65 runs from just 26 deliveries.
Pooran's remarkable innings included two boundaries and an impressive seven sixes, electrifying the stadium with his aggressive play. His attacking display was instrumental in guiding the Men in Maroon to successfully chase down the target of 175 runs in 17.5 overs, only losing three wickets in the process.
In a remarkable display of power hitting, the West Indies batter showcased his prowess by smashing a record seven sixes during the series opener, bringing his total number of sixes in the shortest format of the game to an impressive 139. Having played 96 T20I games to date, Pooran now holds the distinction of being the third-highest six-hitter in T20Is.
In his journey to this milestone, Pooran surpassed renowned batters such as Australia’s Glenn Maxwell, India’s Suryakumar Yadav, and England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler to secure the coveted third position on the list. The top spot is currently held by India's Rohit Sharma, who has played 159 T20I games and smashed a remarkable 205 sixes before retiring from the format following India's T20 World Cup victory.
Following closely behind Rohit is New Zealand opener Martin Guptill, who has accumulated 173 sixes in 122 matches. Pooran, with 537 sixes in 352 T20 matches, holds the fifth position on the list of batters with the most sixes in T20s. The overall record for the most sixes in T20s is held by the legendary Chris Gayle, with an astounding 1056 maximums.
Also read| 'Galati ho gaya': Dinesh Karthik apologises for omitting MS Dhoni from his all-time India XI