Tim Southee Matches Chris Gayle's Record for Most Sixes in Farewell Test
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Wellington, Dec 14 (NationPress) New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee has equalled the six-hitting record held by former West Indies star Chris Gayle during his last Test match at Seddon Park on Saturday.
Southee and Gayle now share an impressive total of 98 sixes in Test cricket, trailing only behind Adam Gilchrist (100), Brendon McCullum (107), and Ben Stokes (133).
Coming in to bat at a score of 272/8 in the first innings of the third Test against England, Southee was greeted with a guard of honour from the England players on his farewell occasion.
Facing Ben Stokes for his first delivery, Southee missed completely. However, in Stokes's next over, he launched two massive sixes over mid-wicket and deep square-leg, followed by a single on the fifth ball. Continuing with his aggressive style, Southee blasted the first ball of Gus Atkinson's next over for another six over mid-wicket and then edged the next delivery to the boundary.
Atkinson eventually took revenge as Southee mistimed a slog, leading to a catch by Brydon Carse. Southee concluded his innings with a remarkable 10-ball 23, achieving a strike rate of 230, making it the third-fastest Test innings by a New Zealand player with a 10-ball cut-off. Notably, the second-fastest also belongs to Southee, with his 10-ball 24 not out against Sri Lanka in 2019.
During his innings, Southee's second six tied him with Jacques Kallis for fifth on the all-time Test six-hitting leaderboard with 97 sixes. His third six brought him level with Chris Gayle in fourth place. With just two more sixes, he could become the fourth player to achieve 100 Test sixes, surpassing Adam Gilchrist with one more hit.
Three noteworthy factors highlight Southee’s remarkable stats: he has never batted in the top seven, maintains a superior six-hitting frequency compared to others, and relies more on sixes than fours for his runs.
At the close of Day 1, New Zealand stood at 315/9 with Mitchell Santner not out on 50, while Will O'Rourke is yet to score. Earlier, captain Tom Latham made 63, and Will Young and Kane Williamson contributed 42 and 44, respectively.
For England, Matthew Potts and Gus Atkinson took three wickets each, while Brydon Carse claimed two dismissals.
