Nicholas Pooran smashes record books; surpasses three superstars in elite Rohit Sharma-led T20I list

West Indies wicketkeeper-batter Nicholas Pooran is currently among the most dangerous batters in the world. His six-hitting ability is unmatchable and he is going through a purple patch right now.

During the first T20I against South Africa at Tarouba, Pooran showed his class again and powered West Indies to a superb win. WI openers Alick Athanaze and Shai Hope had already laid a strong foundation and scored 84 runs for the first wicket. Pooran came in at No. 3 and had the full license to go after South Africa's inexperienced bowling attack.

He didn't wait to settle and straight away showed an attacking intent. He also collected 21 runs off South Africa's skipper Aiden Markram's only over of the match. Pooran remained unbeaten on 65 off just 26 balls, which included 2 fours and 7 sixes.

The left-hander ensured to take his team past the finish line, which shows how much he has improved over the years. As a result, West Indies chased down the target within 17.5 overs.

Also read: Suryakumar Yadav offered KKR captaincy before IPL 2025, Shreyas Iyer to be sacked

Nicholas Pooran smashes record books

During his knock, Nicholas Pooran created history by moving to the third spot in the list for the most number of sixes hit by a player in T20I cricket. Pooran has hit 139 sixes in 96 T20Is now.

After the 1st T20I against South Africa, he surpassed Jos Buttler, Suryakumar Yadav, and Glenn Maxwell, who are fourth, fifth, and sixth on the list respectively. Buttler has hit 137 sixes in 124 matches while Surya has smashed 136 sixes so far in 71 T20Is. Maxwell has hit 134 sixes in 113 games so far.

While Nicholas Pooran has surpassed these batters, he is just behind Rohit Sharma and Martin Guptill in this list. Rohit has smashed 205 sixes in 159 T20Is while Guptill has hit 173 sixes in 122 matches so far.

Rohit is usually known for his six-hitting abilities. He is also the first and only man so far to hit 200 sixes in T20I cricket. However, that number won't increase now as Rohit Sharma announced his retirement at the end of the T20 World Cup 2024 when India lifted the trophy.

Most sixes in T20 cricket

In terms of most sixes in T20s, Nicholas Pooran is fifth on the list currently. He has smashed 537 sixes in 352 T20s played so far. Chris Gayle has hit the most no. of sixes in T20 cricket with a staggering 1056 sixes in 463 T20s.

Gayle's West Indies teammate Kieron Pollard is second on the list with 877 sixes. Andre Russell is third with 704 sixes while New Zealand's Colin Munro has hit 548 sixes so far and is fourth on the list.

Coming to the match hosts West Indies defeated South Africa by 7 wickets with 13 balls to spare. While batting first, South Africa scored 174-7 on the back of Tristan Stubbs and Patrick Kruger. But the score was not enough on a batting-friendly wicket as West Indies' top three batters Alick Athanaze, Shai Hope, and Nicholas Pooran chased down the target with ease in the end.