South African batsman AB de Villiers no longer has the most sixes in World Cup cricket.

De Villiers’ tally of 37, collected across 22 innings in three World Cups, was surpassed by West Indian Chris Gayle earlier this week.

Gayle hit three sixes in Saturday’s seven-wicket victory over Pakistan at Trent Bridge in Nottingham – and now has 40 in six World Cups.

He struck 16 sixes through a double century against Zimbabwe during the 2015 tournament.

The left-handed Gayle will retire from ODI competition after the ongoing World Cup in the United Kingdom, while the right-handed de Villiers’ Proteas career ended last year.

Australia’s Ricky Ponting, New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum and South Africa’s Herchelle Gibbs boast the third, fourth and fifth most sixes in the World Cup, with 31, 29 and 28, respectively.

India’s Sachin Tendulkar and Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya share sixth position with 27 sixes.

The West Indies will play Australia in Nottingham on Thursday. Gayle might not play, if unable to recover from a back injury sustained during the victory over Pakistan.

‘Chris sent the physiotherapist back off the field so that’s a positive sign for us. So again, we’ve got five days. So we’ll see how he goes the next couple of days,’ said captain Jason Holder.

Photo: Gallo Images