Sri Lanka's Thisara Perera smashes six sixes in an over
All-rounder Thisara Perera has become the first Sri Lankan player to hit six sixes in an over in any form of professional cricket. The 31-year-old achieved the milestone on Sunday in a List A game. Playing for Army Sports Cricket Club in Sri Lanka Cricket's Major Clubs tournament, Perera smashed an unbeaten 13-ball 52. Here the further details.
Perera enters an elite club of veterans
Perera has become the ninth player and first from Sri Lanka to have struck six sixes in professional cricket. He has joined Sir Garfield Sobers, Ravi Shastri, Herschelle Gibbs, Yuvraj Singh, Ross Whiteley, Hazratullah Zazai, Leo Carter and Kieron Pollard in the elite club.
WATCH: Perera smashes six sixes in an over
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— ICC (@ICC) March 29, 2021
WATCH: @PereraThisara smashes six sixes in an over in List A cricket! https://t.co/SgFMPMIaNL
How did the match pan out?
SL Army Sports Club, led by Perera, won the toss and elected to bat. They fired 318/3 in a fixture that was reduced to 41 overs. Ashan Randika and Himasha Liyanage slammed respective hundreds before Perera came into the act. He smashed a 13-ball 52*, an innings studded with 8 sixes. Eventually, the match was abandoned, with Bloomfield struggling on 73/6 in their run-chase.
Second-fastest fifty in List A cricket
In the process, Perera registered the second-fastest fifty in List A cricket. Notably, the record for fastest fifty remains with former Sri Lanka all-rounder Kaushalya Weeraratne. He smashed a 12-ball half-century for Ragana Cricket Club against Kurunegala Youth Cricket Club in November 2005. His 18-ball 66 comprised of two fours and eight sixes, including five off a single over.
Perera featured in the game when Pollard reached the landmark
Less than a month ago, Perera was playing for Sri Lanka when West Indies skipper Pollard attained the same feat. He hit Sri Lanka's Akila Dhananjaya for six sixes in the first T20I in Coolidge. Notably, Dhananjaya had taken a historic hat-trick in the previous over. Pollard became only the third cricketer after Yuvraj and Gibbs to reach the landmark in international cricket.
