South Africa achieved history on Wednesday, October 30, as the visitors achieved a record number of sixes in one innings in their Test history with the likes of Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs and Wiaan Mulder pummelling them into submission in the series decider in Chattogram. As many as three batters hit centuries as South Africa piled on 577 runs for the loss of six wickets before declaring their innings. As many as 17 sixes and 36 fours were hit during the innings, a record for South Africa.
De Zorzi, the highest run-getter of the innings, David Bedingham and Wiaan Mulder all hit four sixes each with Stubbs contributing three and Senuran Muthusamy who was unbeaten at the end on 70, also hit a couple of big blows.
The Proteas went past their record of 15 sixes in an innings of a Test match, to record their best-ever feat. 17 sixes is also the joint-third most sixes in a Test innings in history as South Africa equalled Australia’s record from 2003 against Zimbabwe. 17 sixes, though, is the joint-highest in the very first innings of a Test match, which Australia did too.
The record belongs to New Zealand with 22 sixes in an innings in Test matches in 2014, which was the second of the four innings and India did it in the third innings of the Rajkot Test earlier this year by hitting the ball 18 times over the rope in their batting innings.
Most sixes by a team in an innings in Tests
22 sixes – New Zealand (vs Pakistan) – Sharjah, 2014
18 sixes – India (vs England) – Rajkot, 2024
17 sixes – Australia (vs Zimbabwe) – Perth, 2003
17 sixes – South Africa (vs Bangladesh) – Chattogram, 2024
16 sixes – Sri Lanka (vs Ireland) – Galle, 2023
Most sixes by South Africa in a Test innings
17 sixes – vs Bangladesh, Chattogram, 2024
15 sixes – vs West Indies, Basseterre, 2010
12 sixes – vs Australia, Cape Town, 2009
12 sixes – vs India, Centurion, 2010
Bangladesh had already lost four wickets before the end of the second day as the culmination for the match and the series seems near with South Africa being in firm control of the Chattogram Test.