Razaullah Equals Southee’s Batting Record in Memorable Test Debut

Razaullah had a debut to remember for Pakistan as he produced a stunning display with the bat against England on Friday. The young batter hit nine sixes in his first Test, putting him level with New Zealand’s Tim Southee for the most sixes scored on Test debut.

The 21-year-old was brought into Pakistan’s squad along with six other players for the third Test against England. Unfortunately, his first outing with the bat did not go according to the plan, as he made only 11 runs from 11 deliveries.

However, things changed dramatically when Razaullah returned to the crease in the second innings. Instead of settling in, he took the aggressive route and put England’s bowlers under pressure from the start.

Razaullah struck nine sixes and four boundaries during his impressive 81-run innings. Due to his spectacular batting performance, Pakistan finished the third day of the Edgbaston Test strongly, giving England a tricky target of 130 to win the match.

Notably, the nine sixes struck by Razaullah also saw him join Southee at the top of the Test debut sixes list. Southee had achieved the same feat when he played his first Test for New Zealand against England in 2008.

Razaullah’s performance also gave him a record of his own. His nine sixes are now the most by a player making his Test debut away from home. He moved ahead of West Indies batter Kyle Mayers, who had hit seven sixes during his debut Test against Bangladesh in 2021.

Most Sixes in an Innings on Test Debut

• 9 - Tim Southee (New Zealand) against ENG in 2008
• 9 - Razaullah (Pakistan) against England in 2026*
• 7 - Kyle Mayers (West Indies) vs Bangladesh in 2021

Razaullah’s attacking knock also helped Pakistan hit 12 sixes in their second innings against England. That is now their joint-third-highest number of sixes in a Test innings. Pakistan’s record for the most sixes in an innings stands at 15, which they hit against New Zealand in the 2002 Lahore Test.

Most Sixes by Pakistan in a Test innings

• 15 against New Zealand in 2002
• 13 against Zimbabwe in 1996
• 13 against England in 2005
• 12 against India in 2006
• 12 against Sri Lanka in 2009
• 12 against England in 2026