Janaka Gunaratne hits 6 sixes in an over and grabs 8 for 41

Janaka Gunaratne hits 6 sixes in an over and grabs 8 for 41: He has played for the Ruhuna team in the Champions League and is a veteran in first class cricket for Sri Lanka. A paltry average of 18 in List A matches wouldn’t make you go gaga about this individual but what he has achieved is enough to throw you off your seats. Six sixes in an over and 8 for 41. No these are not the match figures of two separate cricketers. Janaka Gunaratne, the Sri Lankan professional became the first player in the 122-year history of Houldsworth Ribblesdale League to hit six sixes off one over. Gunaratne ended with 79 not out and then claimed 8-41 as the Lancashire Cup semi-finalists and Senior League leaders secured a 54-run victory against the Ribblesdale Wanderers.

But the furious Wanderers players believed Gunaratne should have been out for a duck. Ian Britcliffe said, “Janaka was bowled, second ball off-stump by Jordan Britcliffe. But the square-leg umpire, Frank Newby, reckoned the ball came back off the wicket-keeper. We could not believe it. The game was stopped for five minutes or more and a few words said before Janaka was called back”.

“At the end he hit me good and proper, over the bowling green, over the car park, everywhere. I had bowled off a one-pace run-up because we had been told to bowl our last four overs in five minutes. But I was off my usual long run for those last six balls.” he said.

Clitheroe skipper Paul Gaskell said: “Wanderers were adamant Janaka was out. But it was not clear and he did not believe he was out. There were two noises and the square-leg umpire reckoned it came off the wicket-keeper. At the end, Janaka’s batting was a joy to watch”.

The Colombo-born Gunaratne has made over 100 first-class appearances. He made his first T20 appearance in 2004 for Chilaw Marians. He also hit the winning runs in the Super Over that earned Ruhuna a spot in the Champions League T20 in 2011. Gunaratne has scored close to 8000 first class runs and also has over 250 wickets.