Razaullah Khan's record-breaking nine sixes on Test debut turns tide for Pakistan vs England

Pakistan's latest Test debutant Razaullah Khan turned what looked like another routine England victory into a remarkable fightback at Edgbaston, producing a breathtaking display of six-hitting to create history on his debut in Test cricket. The 21-year-old, batting at No. 9, smashed nine sixes during his 81 off 63 balls against England on Friday, setting a new mark for the most sixes by a No. 9 batter in a Test innings. Razaullah's assault came at precisely the moment Pakistan appeared to be heading for another crushing defeat. Having conceded a 320-run first-innings lead, Pakistan were reduced to 318/8 and were still two runs short of avoiding an innings defeat. What followed was an extraordinary counterattack. Razaullah and Mohammad Abbas turned the contest on its head with a 121-run ninth-wicket partnership, taking Pakistan to 449 before they were finally dismissed in the last over of the day. England were left needing 130 runs on Saturday to complete a 3-0 series sweep. Razaullah's nine sixes also put his innings into a unique position in the history of Test cricket. The batting positions themselves tell the story. At every position from No. 1 to No. 11, there is a record for the most sixes hit by a batter in a single Test innings, and Razaullah has now taken the No. 9 spot. The position-wise record stands as:

Batting positionMost sixes in a Test inningsNo. 1Yashasvi Jaiswal – 12No. 2Matthew Hayden / Brendon McCullum – 11No. 3Kusal Mendis – 11No. 4Inzamam-ul-Haq – 9No. 5Nathan Astle / Brendon McCullum – 11No. 6Ben Stokes – 11No. 7Adam Gilchrist – 8No. 8Wasim Akram – 12No. 9Razaullah – 9No. 10Tim Southee – 9No. 11S Shillingford – 5

Razaullah is therefore the latest name to enter this unusual list, holding the record for the most sixes by a No. 9 batter in a Test innings. What makes the feat even more remarkable is that he achieved it on his Test debut. The Pakistan batter's nine sixes came during his astonishing 81 off 63 balls against England at Edgbaston. He arrived at the crease with Pakistan still two runs short of making England bat again, but instead of merely surviving, he launched an extraordinary counterattack alongside Mohammad Abbas. The Pakistan debutant also matched the record for the most sixes in a Test innings in England. Ben Stokes had hit nine against Australia at Lord's during the 2023 Ashes.

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Razaullah's effort also equalled Tim Southee's record for the most sixes by a batter on Test debut. Southee had struck nine maximums against England at Napier in 2008. Razaullah's nine maximums included three sixes in one over against Gus Atkinson, while another six off Jofra Archer took him to his half-century from just 43 balls. His next maximum, also off Archer, took Pakistan beyond 400. The No. 9 batter eventually fell for 81, but by then he had helped Pakistan turn a seemingly inevitable innings defeat into a 129-run first-innings lead. His name now sits alongside some of Test cricket's most destructive hitters in a batting-position record that runs from No. 1 through No. 11.