Cricket is one game that requires strength to put deliveries over the boundary. With players working on their fitness even more, hitting the ball hard has become easier now. Here are 7 of the hardest hitters of the cricket ball today:
MS Dhoni:
Any post about power in cricket and one of the first names to crop up is surely MS Dhoni. The former Indian captain and legend is known to be one of the hardest hitters of the ball. Right from the time he made his debut, Dhoni makes sure he packs a punch with all his strokes.
Thanks to his massive forearms and core strength, Dhoni is able to generate immense power that can send the hard ball flying out of the stadium.
Chris Gayle:
The West Indian opener for hire is one of the greatest West Indian openers and made himself a household name thanks to the T20 format. Ever since he made his debut for the Windies however, Gayle has always been a destructive batsman.
He has the biggest frame and his power shows every time he hits the cricket ball. Gayle is brutal, making sure he gets everything behind the ball and he will continue to do so for years to come.
Adam Gilchrist:
The Aussie legend is another one who could pulverise the ball at will. Wreaking havoc at the top of the innings with another big hitter, Hayden, Gilchrist was one who could start smashing from the get go.
His exceptional shot timing along with his power allowed Gilchrist to get most of the poor balls and some good ones too beyond the boundary.
Shahid Afridi:
You don’t get the nickname, “Boom Boom” if you do not know how to hit the cricket ball. One of the most aggressive batsmen to have come out of Pakistan, Afridi was one player who deflated opposition bowlers with pure power.
Afridi has smashed some huge sixes in his career and there have been many admirers of the pure strength that the man possesses.
Sanath Jayasuriya:
The Sri Lankan icon once famously scored 76 runs in an innings while his non-striker was still stuck at 0. Jayasuriya has been heavy for the Lankans, especially against sub-continent opposition and was easily one of the hardest hitters of the cricket ball the island nation has ever seen.
He has carried innings on his own and is considered one of the pioneers of the destructive, attacking style of batting up the order.
Brendon McCullum:
An absolute freak of a batsman on his day, McCullum has played plenty of historical innings with the bat. He also possesses a lot of power for someone who is not very tall and his reputation has grown across the whole world.
McCullum will go down as one of the hardest hitters in the game and it has been a privilege to watch a player such as him feature for so long.
Sir Viv Richards:
In a time when bowling dominated, Sir Viv Richards never gave the impression that he was ever fazed. Strolling onto the pitch in a cap and chewing gum, the powerful West Indian would give the impression that his calm demeanour would show in his batting.
However, it was anything but and Sir Richards has destroyed opposition bowling, no matter what their reputations were. He is still spoken about as one of the hardest hitters ever and a Richards in his prime playing today would rule.
Notable mentions: Virender Sehwag, Hardik Pandya, David Warner, Andrew Symonds, Chris Cairns, Alex Hales, Kieron Pollard.
