While representing Maharashtra against Uttar Pradesh in a 2022 Vijay Hazare Trophy quarter-final in November, batter Ruturaj Gaikwad smashed 7 sixes in an over.

As a result, Ruturaj became the first batter to do so in limited-overs (List-A) cricket. During a quarter-final clash against Uttar Pradesh, Ruturaj produced a sensational knock by scoring an unbeaten 220 off just 159 balls.

His inning saw him hit 10 four and 16 maximums and seven of those sixes came in the penultimate over of the first innings off the bat of Ruturaj.

The bowler on the receiving end of Ruturaj’s belligerent onslaught was Uttar Pradesh’s Shiva Singh. 

After being hit for four consecutive sixes in the 49th over, Shiva Singh bowled a no-ball in the fifth delivery which was also powered over the ropes by Ruturaj Gaikwad. 

The final two legitimate deliveries of the over were also hit for maximums as Ruturaj Gaikwad brought up his double ton and became the first player to hit 7 sixes in an over in limited-overs cricket.

The right-hand batter’s knock helped Maharashtra post 330/5 on the scoreboard before going on to register a comfortable 58-run win.

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 7 sixes in an over took him past Zimbabwe’s Elton Chigumbura, who had smashed 39 runs in one over in a 2013 Dhaka Premier Division game.

The total of 43 runs from the over is the joint-most expensive over in List-A cricket history. Northern Districts Brett Hampton and Joe Carter are the joint-record holders for most expensive overs in List-A cricket after the pair smashed Central Districts�?Willem Ludick for 43 in a Ford Trophy fixture in 2018. 

Most sixes in an over

Player	Team	Opposition	Year
Sir Garfield SobersÂ	Nottinghamshire	Glamorgan	1968
Ravi Shastri	Bombay	Baroda	1985
Herschelle Gibbs	South Africa	Netherlands	2007
Yuvraj Singh	India	England	2007
Ross Whiteley	Worcestershire Rapids	Yorkshire Vikings	2017
Hazratullah Zazai	Kabul Zwanan	Balkh Legends	2018
Leo Carter	Canterbury Knights	Northern Knights	2020
Kieron Pollard	West Indies	Sri Lanka	2021
Thisara Perera	Sri Lanka Army	Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club	2021
Jaskaran Malhotra	USA	Papua New Guinea	2021
Rururaj Gaikwad	Maharashtra	Uttar Pradesh	2022

As far as international cricket is concerned, no player has managed to strike more than six maximums in an over. 

The likes of Herschelle Gibbs, Kieron Pollard, Yuvraj Singh, and Indian-origin American cricketer Jaskaran Malhotra are the only cricketers to have done so in limited-overs cricket.

Meanwhile, players like Ross Whiteley, Hazratullah Zazai, Leo Carter, and Thisara Perera have smashed six maximums in an over in domestic cricket.

Photo credit: Alamy

Hindukush Stars (HS) will square off against Amo Sharks (AM) in match 3 of Shpageeza Cricket League 2022 at Kabul International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, July 19. The match will start at 10:00 AM IST (Indian Standard Time).

Led by Hamid Hassan, Hindukush Stars will make their debut in the eighth edition of Shpageeza Cricket League.

On the other hand, Ihsanullah Janat-led Amo Sharks will look to bounce back after a dismal campaign in the previous edition of the tournament. The Sharks lost all their five matches in the league phase as they finished at the bottom of the standings.

HS vs AM Dream11 prediction

Hindukush Stars and Amo Sharks will play their first match of Shpageeza Cricket League 2022. Having already played in the T20 tournament previously, the Amo Sharks will start as slight favourites over newcomers Hindukush Stars on Tuesday.

HS vs AM Dream11 team tips for Shpageeza Cricket League 2022

Top Tip: Best batter 

Hindukush Stars�?/span> Hazratullah Zazai will be the batter to watch out for. Zazai previously represented Band-e-Amir Dragons in the 2020 edition, amassing 180 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 132.35. The 24-year-old has been one of the top batters for Afghanistan in the T20I format, scoring 812 runs in 25 matches including one hundred and three fifties to his name. At 9 credits, Zazai will be a worthy fantasy pick. 

Top Tip: Best bowler

In the bowling department, Wafadar Momand of Amo Sharks could be a great fantasy pick. The right-arm medium pacer has picked 13 wickets in 12 T20 matches at an economy of 7.72. Momand played just two matches for Band-e-Amir Dragons last season, bagging two wickets at an economy of 6.87. Momand will be a quality investment at 9 credits.

Top Tip: Best all-rounder and wicket-keeper

Among the all-rounders on display, Amo Sharks�?Jamshid Khan will be the overwhelming choice at 9 credits. The 19-year-old all-rounder has claimed 75 wickets in 18 First-Class matches at an average of 25.50. Jamshid has also scored a healthy amount of runs for his team Amo Region.

For the wicket-keeper spot, Hindukush Stars�?Yousuf Shah will be the preferred choice over Haji Murad Muradi of Amo Sharks. Along with his impressive wicket-keeping skills, Yousuf Shah is also quite handy with the bat and will be a decent pick at just 8.5 credits.

HS vs AM full squads

Hindukush Stars: Hamid Hassan (captain), Hazratullah Zazai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Shabir Noori, Nisar Wahdat, Abdullah Adil, Muslim Musa, Zubaid Akbari, Fitratullah Khawari, Shams ur Rahman, Zia ul Haq Eisakhil, Yousuf Shah (wicket-keeper), Jalat Musazai, Akbar Musazai, Imran Mohammadi, Usman Adil, Abdul Hadi, Parvez Amin

Amo Sharks: Ihsanullah Janat (captain), Darwish Rasooli, Abdul Wasi, Afsar Zazai, Yousuf Zazai, Jamshid Khan, Wafadar Momand, Bahir Shah, Rahim Mangal, Abidullah Taniwal, Haji Murad Muradi (wicket-keeper), Janat Gul, Arif Khan, Juma Gul, Abdul Rashid Naseri, Kamran Hotak, Wafiullah Stanikzai, Yahya Khan

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Australia cricketer Aaron Finch currently holds the record for the highest individual score in T20 International cricket.

The Aussie skipper slammed a 76-ball 172 against Zimbabwe in a 2018 T20I match at Harare. The knock was laced with 16 boundaries and 10 sixes as he helped Australia to 229/2 in 20 overs.

His knock of 172 was three runs short of Chris Gayle’s record for the highest individual score in T20 cricket. The West Indies icon hit 175 runs off 66 balls against the now-defunct Pune franchise in a 2013 Indian T20 League match.

Finch’s 172 against Zimbabwe improved his own record for the highest individual score in T20 cricket, that he set in 2013.

Finch had hammered a 63-ball 156 in the first T20I against England at Southampton. This knock surpassed the previous best - 123 by Brendon McCullum against Bangladesh in 2012.

Afghanistan cricketer Hazratullah Zazai currently boasts the second-highest individual score in T20 cricket.

In the 2019 T20I against Ireland, Zazai opened the batting and hit unbeaten 162. The scintillating hundred, packed with 11 boundaries and 16 maximums, powered Afghanistan to post a mammoth score of 278/3 in their allotted 20 overs.

All-rounder Glenn Maxwell is fourth on the list of the highest individual scorers in T20I cricket.

The hard-hitting Australian star smashed an unbeaten 145 off 63 balls against Sri Lanka in 2016. His innings featured 14 boundaries and nine sixes.

Hungary’s Zeeshan Kukikhel rounds up the top five list for the highest individual scorer in men’s T20I cricket.

With his team chasing a target of 197 against Austria, Zeeshan played a determined knock of 137 in 49 balls in 2022. His innings was built up of seven boundaries and 15 sixes.

Meanwhile, India captain Rohit Sharma holds the record for the highest individual score in T20I cricket among Indian cricketers.

Opening the innings against Sri Lanka in a 2017 match, Rohit slammed a 43-ball 118 where he equalled David Miller’s record for the fastest century in T20 internationals (35 balls).

Highest individual score in T20 International cricket

Player and Team	Opponent	Runs	Year
Aaron Finch (Australia)	Zimbabwe	172	2017
Hazratullah Zazai (Afghanistan)	Ireland	162*	2019
Aaron Finch (Australia)	England	156	2013
Glenn Maxwell (Australia)Â	Sri Lanka	145*	2016
Zeeshan Kukikhel (Hungary)	Austria	137	2022

Author: William Paul

Featured photo: AFP / ISHARA S. KODIKARA

The record for most sixes in an innings in international cricket is currently 17 sixes.

England cricket team’s limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan achieved the feat in the 2019 ODI Cricket World Cup match against Afghanistan, and beat the previous record (16) that was jointly held by Rohit Sharma, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle in One Day Internationals and Hazratullah Zazai in T20 Internationals.

Here we take a look at the batters who have hit the most sixes in an innings in cricket.

Most sixes in an innings in international cricket

Player	Sixes in innings	Team	Opponent	Year	Format
Eoin Morgan	17	England	Afghanistan	2019	ODI
Hazratullah Zazai	16	Afghanistan	Ireland	2019	T20I
AB de Villiers	16	South Africa	West Indies	2015	ODI
Chris Gayle	16	West Indies	Zimbabwe	2015	ODI
Rohit Sharma	16	India	Australia	2013	ODI

Most sixes in an innings in ODI

Eoin Morgan hit the most sixes in an innings during the 2019 Cricket World Cup against Afghanistan.

The England captain came out to bat when his side were 164/2 in 30 overs. Taking cue from Jonny Bairstow’s 99-ball 90, Morgan forged a 189-run stand with Joe Root. The left-hander broke the all-time record off a Gulbadin Naib delivery before getting dismissed in the very next delivery.

Player	Sixes in innings	Team	Opponent	Year
Eoin Morgan	17	England	Afghanistan	2019
Jaskaran Malhotra	16	USA	Papua New Guinea	2019
AB de Villiers	16	South Africa	West Indies	2015
Chris Gayle	16	West Indies	Zimbabwe	2015
Rohit Sharma	16	India	Australia	2013

Prior to Morgan, the record for most sixes in an innings in ODIs was shared by Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers. Out of the three, India’s Rohit Sharma was the first to hit 16 sixes in an ODI innings with his effort coming against Australia in a 2013 ODI at Bengaluru.

The opener’s most productive over came in the 47th over bowled by Xavier Doherty, where he smashed three sixes in the over.

USA’s Jaskaran Malhotra also hit 16-sixes in an innings in a 2021 ODI fixture against Papua New Guinea.

Most sixes in an innings in Test

Wasim Akram hit the most sixes in an innings in Test cricket.

The legendary Pakistan all-rounder hit 12 sixes in his unbeaten knock of 257 against Zimbabwe. The knock was the only double century of his celebrated Test career.

Player	Sixes in innings	Team	Opponent	Year
Wasim Akram	12	Pakistan	Zimbabwe	1996
Brendon McCullum	11	New Zealand	Sri Lanka	2014
Brendon McCullum	11	New Zealand	Pakistan	2014
Matthew Hayden	11	Australia	Zimbabwe	2003
Nathan Astle	11	New Zealand	England	2002

Kiwi batter Nathan Astle held the previous record for most sixes in a Test innings, with his 11 sixes coming in a losing cause against England in 2002. His feat would be equalled by two other legendary batters in Matthew Hayden and Brendon McCullum. 

McCullum, for one, hit 11 sixes in a Test innings in consecutive Tests. He first hammered 11 maximums in the third Test against Pakistan and followed it up with 11 sixes in the first Test against Sri Lanka in 2014.

Most sixes in an innings in T20I

Afghanistan’s Hazratullah Zazai is the batter with the most sixes in an innings in T20Is.

The Afghanistan batter’s 16 sixes against Ireland helped his side post a match-winning total of 278/3 in the second game of the three-match T20I series in 2021.

Player	Sixes in innings	Team	Opponent	Year
Hazratullah Zazai	16	Afghanistan	Ireland	2019
George Munsey	14	Scotland	Netherlands	2019
Aaron Finch	14	Australia	England	2013
Richard Levi	13	South Africa	New Zealand	2012
Evin Lewis	12	West Indies	India	2017

Zazai’s exploits from 2021 meant he bettered the previous record jointly held by Aaron Finch and George Munsey, who hit 14 sixes. Finch’s knock came in 2013 while Munsey equalled the mark in 2019.

The Australian star slammed a 63-ball 156 against England, and his knock helped the team recover from the early dismissal of David Warner and the batting order that failed to keep up with the English bowling unit.

Richard Levi is third on this list with 13 maximums. The South African’s unbeaten 117 off 51 balls helped the Proteas chase down a target of 174 against New Zealand with four overs to spare back in 2012.

Most sixes in an innings in T20 cricket

Chris Gayle, who also holds the record for most sixes in T20 cricket history, is the batter with the most number of sixes in an innings in T20 cricket.

The ‘Universe Boss�?slammed 18 sixes in the 2017 Bangladesh Premier League final between Rangpur Riders and Dhaka Dynamites. His 69-ball 146 helped the team set a match-winning total of 206/1 and would be declared the Player of the Match.

Player	Sixes in innings	Team	Opponent	Year
Chris Gayle	18	Rangpur Riders	Dhaka Dynamites	2017
Punit Bisht	17	Scotland	Netherlands	2021
Chris Gayle	17	Australia	England	2013
Dasun Shanaka	16	Sinhalese Sports Club	Saracens Sports Club	2017
Graham Napier	16	Essex	Sussex	2008

Gayle, with this performance, improved his own record, which he managed while playing for Bangalore against the now-defunct Pune in the 2013 Indian T20 League.

The Jamaican hard-hitter��s 17 sixes against Pune is still the existing record for most sixes in an innings in the Indian T20 League. The same innings also saw the West Indian put together the highest individual score in the competition and T20 cricket.

The Indian record for most sixes in an innings in T20 cricket is now in possession of Punit Bisht. The 35-year-old, representing Meghalaya, hit 17 sixes in the 2020-21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Plate Group match against Mizoram. With this, Bisht broke the previous record that was held by Mumbai's Shreyas Iyer, who slammed 15 sixes in the 2018-19 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy game against Sikkim.

Author: William Paul

Featured photo: AFP / MIKE HEWITT

West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle currently holds the record for the highest individual score in T20 cricket.

While playing for Team Bangalore in the 2013 Indian T20 League, Gayle slammed an unbeaten 175 off just 66 balls against the now-defunct Pune franchise at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. 

The southpaw broke New Zealand cricketer Brendon McCullum’s record, who smashed an unbeaten 158 off 73 balls for Team Kolkata against Bangalore in the first match of the inaugural edition of the Indian T20 League in 2008.

During his record-breaking innings, Gayle also broke the record for the fastest T20 hundred, reaching his magnificent century in 30 balls. Gayle’s innings was laced with 17 sixes and 13 fours.

Australia T20I captain Aaron Finch boasts the second-highest individual score in T20 cricket.

In the third match of Zimbabwe T20I Tri-series featuring the hosts, Australia and Pakistan, Finch hammered 172 off just 76 balls against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2018.

Finch’s incredible innings, which included 16 fours and 10 maximums, is also the highest individual score in T20I cricket.

Zimbabwe’s Hamilton Masakadza comes in third on the list for the highest individual scorers in T20 cricket.

While playing for the Mountaineers in their domestic Twenty20 competition, Masakadza smashed an unbeaten 71-ball 162 against Mashonaland Eagles in 2016. His innings featured 14 fours and 11 sixes.

Afghanistan cricketer Hazratullah Zazai is the fourth batter on the list.

While opening the batting, Zazai hammered an unbeaten 162 against Ireland in the second T20I of the series in Dehradun in 2019. Zazai’s scintillating hundred powered Afghanistan to post a mammoth score of 278/3 in their allotted 20 overs. Zazai’s innings included 11 fours and 16 maximums.

England’s Adam Lyth is the fifth-highest individual score in men’s T20 cricket.

While representing Yorkshire in the NatWest T20 Blast, Lyth smashed 161 off 73 balls against Northamptonshire in 2017. Lyth’s innings was laced with 20 fours and seven sixes.

Interestingly, former New Zealand cricketer Brendon McCullum features twice on the list for the highest individual score in T20 cricket.

Apart from his unbeaten 158 in the Indian T20 League in 2008, McCullum blasted an unbeaten 64-ball 158 for Warwickshire against Derbyshire in the NatWest T20 Blast in 2015.

Aaron Finch, his Australia teammate Glenn Maxwell and England cricketer Luke Wright complete the top 10 list for the highest individual score in T20 cricket.

While Finch smashed 156 against England in Southampton in 2013, Maxwell registered an unbeaten 154 while playing for the Melbourne Stars against Hobart Hurricanes at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the Big Bash League in 2022 .

Luke Wright features 10th on the list as he hammered an unbeaten 153 for Sussex against Essex in Chelmsford in the NatWest T20 Blast in 2014.

Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Deepika Rasangika holds the record for the highest individual score in women’s T20 cricket.

Opening the innings for Bahrain women’s cricket team, Rasangika smashed an unbeaten 161 against Saudi Arabia in the Golf Cup Women’s Twenty20 Championship.

Interestingly, Rasangika has also represented the Sri Lanka women’s cricket team for more than 60 matches between 2008 and 2014.

The Colombo-born cricketer broke the record of Australia wicket-keeper batter Alyssa Healy, who scored an unbeaten 61-ball 148 against Sri Lanka during the third T20I of Sri Lanka women's tour of Australia in 2019.

Highest individual score in T20 cricket

Player	For	Against	Runs	Balls	4s	6s	Venue	Year
Chris Gayle	Bangalore	Bangalore	175*	66	13	17	Bengaluru	2013
Aaron Finch	Australia	Zimbabwe	172	76	16	10	Harare	2018
Hamilton Masakadza	Mountaineers	Mashonaland Eagles	162*	71	14	11	Bulawayo	2016
Hazratullah ZazaiÂ	Afghanistan	Ireland	162*	62	11	16	Dehradun	2019
Adam Lyth	Yorkshire	Northamptonshire	161	73	20	7	Leeds	2017
Brendon McCullum	Kolkata	Bangalore	158*	73	10	13	Bengaluru	2008
Brendon McCullum	Warwickshire	Derbyshire	158*	64	13	11	Birmingham	2015
Aaron Finch	Australia	England	156	63	11	14	Southampton	2013
Glenn Maxwell	Melbourne Stars	Hobart Hurricanes	154*	64	22	4	Melbourne	2022
Luke Wright	Sussex	Essex	153*	66	12	11	Chelmsford	2014

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With just 20 overs to bat, hundreds in T20Is have been a rare occurrence, with only 55 scored till date.

Rohit Sharma, who scored five centuries at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup alone, leads all batsmen with four T20I centuries, further illustrating how incredibly difficult it is to reach triple figures in the shortest format of the game.

Despite the low number, T20Is have seen some incredible knocks over the years and below, we list the five biggest so far.

Aaron Finch �?172 vs Zimbabwe (2018)

Flat deck, short boundaries, and an average bowling attack.

Australian skipper Aaron Finch had everything going for him against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club in 2018 and the hard-hitting opener did not let the opportunity pass by.

Finch played an astonishing knock of 172 off 76 balls, setting the new record for the highest individual score by a batsman in T20Is. The skipper’s scintillating knock included a T20I record, 16 fours and 10 sixes as Australia piled 229 against a hapless Zimbabwe side.

Finch’s inning ended with an anti-climax, however, as he lost balance and hit the stumps with his bat while trying to attempt a cut shot on a delivery outside the off-stump.

Hazratullah Zazai �?162* vs Ireland (2019)  

In the second T20I between Ireland and Afghanistan in Dehradun in 2019, Afghanistan opener Hazratullah Zazai smashed an unbeaten 162 in just 62 balls, leading his team to a total of 278/3 - the highest in T20 Internationals.

Zazai smashed a T20I record, 16 sixes as well as 10 boundaries in his magnificent knock, and his 236-run partnership with fellow opener Usmani Ghani is the highest for any partnership in T20s, going past Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers�?record of 229 that they set in the 2016 edition of the Indian Premier League against Gujarat Lions.

Despite Ireland’s valiant chase, Afghanistan won the match by 84 runs.

Aaron Finch �?156 vs England (2013) 

Five years prior to his astonishing knock against Zimbabwe, Finch smashed an incredible 156 off 63 balls against England at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.

Batting first, England struck early as Stuart Broad dismissed the dangerous David Warner for just one off five deliveries but that did not deter Finch, who took over the scoring mantle and smashed 14 sixes and 11 fours to set a new record for the highest individual score in T20Is and guided Australia to a massive total of 248. Despite Joe Root’s unbeaten 90 off 49 balls, the Kangaroos won the contest by 39 runs.

This marked the first instance of a batsman scoring 150+ in T20Is and has since been done only twice �?by Hazratullah Zazai in 2019 and by Finch himself in 2018.

Glenn Maxwell �?145* vs Sri Lanka (2016)

Aaron Finch's position at the top of the list, along with Glen Maxwall in fourth underscores the Aussie dominance in this area. Not often does Maxwell open the batting for his country, but when he did against Sri Lanka at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in 2016, the hard-hitting all-rounder smashed 145 off just 65 balls to guide his team to a mammoth total of 263/3.

Maxwell’s innings included 11 fours and nine sixes, and it helped Australia register a comprehensive 85-run victory over the home side. At the time, Australia’s 263 was the highest score by a team in T20Is but has since been surpassed twice. Afghanistan’s aforementioned 278/3 is now the highest score by a team in T20Is, followed by Czech Republic’s 278/4 against Turkey in the Continental Cup in 2019.

George Munsey �?127* vs Netherlands (2019)

In the second match of the Tri-Nation T20I Series between Scotland and Netherlands, Scottish opener George Munsey smashed an unbeaten 127 off just 56 balls to guide his team to a total of 252/3 in their 20 overs.

Munsey’s innings included 14 sixes and just five fours, and he reached his 100 in just 41 balls - the fifth-fastest in T20I history. Despite Dutch captain Pieter Seelaar’s stellar knock of 96 off 49 balls, Scotland won the match by 58 runs.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Jekesai Njikizana

Watching batsmen hitting sixes might be fun for us but it isn't easy at all for them. They put a lot of hard work off the field so that they can develop the strength and ability to clear the big boundaries easily. But there are some players who are just natural in this aspect and it seems like hitting sixes is almost effortless for them. That said, let's take a look at five of the best six-hitters (minimum 500 runs) in T20Is in terms Balls per Six (BP6), which is the number of deliveries they take to hit each six.

Evin Lewis (Bp6 - 8.23)

The Caribbean opener is the most consistent six-hitter in T20Is at present. Lewis hits six every 8.23 deliveries and that's way better than any other batsman in the format at present. The left-handed batsman has 934 T20I runs to his name at an outstanding strike-rate of 155.41. Not only that, these runs include two centuries as well, with a career-best score of 125* against India.

Andre Russell (Bp6 - 8.50)

It's not surprising at all to see his name in list like this. Russell is one of the best power-hitters in the world at present and his exploits for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2019 showed how good he is. The all-rounder hits a six at an interval of every 8.5 deliveries and has scored a total of 540 runs in this format at an excellent strike-rate of 151.26.

Hazratullah Zazai (Bp6 - 9.18)

The opening batsman from Afghanistan isn't far behind Lewis and Russell as well. He is already one of the mainstays in Afghanistan's T20I batting unit and averages 40.71 after 15 matches. He takes approximately nine deliveries to hit every six and strikes at an outstanding rate of 155.31 as well. Moreover, Zazai's best score of 162* is one of the best individual scores in this format as well.

Colin Munro (Bp6 - 10.30)

The Kiwi top-order batsman is one of the most explosive players in the world at the moment. That fact that he has three centuries to his name in T20Is sums up how he can destroy oppositions on his day. He strikes at a high rate of 156.44 and has an excellent average of 31.35 as well. Combine that with his habit of hitting a six every 10.3 deliveries on average and you can imagine how he torments bowlers.

Chris Gayle (Bp6 - 10.85)

No batting list in T20 cricket is complete without the Universe Boss featuring in it and even though he is at the twilight of his career now, he still manages to make an appearance at the fifth spot in this list. In his 58 T20I career matches so far, Gayle has scored 1627 runs at an excellent average of 32.54 and an equally good strike-rate of 142.84. And while doing so, he has hit a six at an interval of every 10.85 deliveries.

Image courtesy: AFP/ Randy Brooks

Indian batsman KL Rahul, Australia's Glenn Maxwell and Afghanistan's Hazratullah Zazai have all made glaring progress in the latest ICC T20I rankings, with the latter achieving his career-best spot following his exploits against Ireland.

Indian opener Rahul, who was a prolific run-scorer for India in an otherwise bland performance against Australia, scored 50 and 47 in the two T20 games respectively. And although both came in a losing cause, his knocks have helped him gain four places, which now sees him occupying the sixth spot. He remains at the only Indian batsman in Top 10.

Glenn Maxwell, who was ranked number one a year ago, single-handedly thrashed India in both T20I, scoring 56 and 113 on the two occasions respectively, has been given him a two-spot leap to reach third in the rankings. Apart from Maxwell, his compatriot D'Arcy Short has taken a significant leap in the rankings and now sits on eighth position.

However, if there is anyone who has made a breakthrough advancement, it is Afghanistan opener Hazratullah Zazai. Jumping a whopping 31 places, the 20-year-old batsman has achieved his career-best seventh spot in the rankings following his tally of 204 runs against Ireland in Afghanistan's 3-0 series victory.

Furthermore, as far as the bowling department is concerned, there hasn't been any notable change baring Kuldeep Yadav's loss of two places. He now sits fourth in the tally and the only Indian in top 10. 

Apart from these personal progressions, the series win over India has helped Australia to leap over South Africa and England to occupy the third spot. India and Pakistan retain their second and first spot respectively.

Hazratullah Zazai smashed the ball to every corner of the ground, and even out of the stadium, as Afghanistan racked up a world record T20 score of 278-3 in a crushing demolition of Ireland on Saturday.

The 20-year-old Zazai's unbeaten 162 included 16 sixes and 11 fours, delighting Afghan fans in the Indian city of Dehradun.

His haul of sixes was another record, as was his stand of 236 with fellow opener Usman Ghani and the 22 sixes scored in all by Afganistan's players. 

STR / AFP

Ireland captain Paul Stirling also hit a six off the first ball of his side's innings as they chased a mammoth 13.95 runs an over to keep up. 

But they ended on 194-6 and Afghanistan won by 84 runs to wrap up the three-match series with a game to spare.

"It was a pretty disappointing night," said Stirling. "We need to regroup now."

The night of cricket fireworks belonged to Afghanistan -- who overtook Australia's 260-3 against Sri Lanka in 2016 -- and Zazai, who plundered his giant innings off just 62 balls.

"I just wanted to play my natural game and today was my day," he said. "The wicket was good for batting."

Sixes galore 

After managing just seven runs from their first two overs, Zazai and Ghani flailed the Irish bowlers, who from then barely managed an over without conceding a six.

Zazai made his century off just 42 balls -- the second quickest in T20 internationals -- completed with the ninth six of his innings. Four of the sixes came off Kevin O'Brien in the 17th over which reaped 28 runs in all.

One giant hit off Shane Gelkate went over the stands and out of the ground.

Zazai's stocks have risen dramatically despite missing a place in the Indian Premier League this season. 

In October, he became only the third batsman to hit six sixes in a T20 over for his Afghanistan Premier League side Kabul Zwanan.

He equalled the record for the fastest T20 half century in 12 balls in the same match.

Stirling hardly knew who to throw into the breach as a bowler. 

Boyd Rankin finally claimed a wicket for the Irish when Ghani -- who made 73 off 43 balls -- played a careless shot over long-on that Joshua Little caught diving as he ran in from the boundary.

While Stirling and Kevin O'Brien were no slouches, they never kept up with the mountainous run rate, which had risen to 17 by the 10th over.

Afghanistan's star bowler Rashid Khan came on for the 11th over and was furious when captain Asghar Afghan spilled a relatively simple catch off his first ball to give O'Brien a chance with Ireland on 109. 

O'Brien was bowled in the next over by Fareed Ahmad for a 37 which included two sixes.

Rashid bowled Andy Balbirnie in the following over for two and Stirling started to run out of reliable partners.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman claimed Stirling -- who as a consolation made Ireland's top T20 score of 91 off 50 balls -- when he was caught by replacement Najeeb Tarakai on the boundary.

The final play of the series is on Sunday. The two play five one-day internationals from February 28 and a one-off Test in March.