Thisara Perera: Sri Lanka's Powerful Lower-Order Allrounder

Thisara Perera was one of Sri Lanka's most entertaining cricketers — a right-arm fast-medium bowler and powerful lower-order left-handed batter who could win matches with either bat or ball. Born in Colombo in 1989, Perera played 27 Tests, 166 ODIs and 84 T20Is for Sri Lanka between 2010 and 2019. As a bowler he was genuinely useful — capable of swinging the ball and taking wickets in the powerplay overs. As a batter he was a natural hitter whose flat-bat power made him one of the most dangerous finishers in Sri Lankan cricket during his era.

Six Sixes in an Over

Perera achieved one of cricket's most extraordinary individual feats in 2017 — hitting six sixes in a single over off New Zealand's Colin de Grandhomme in a T20I match in Auckland. Only Yuvraj Singh (against Stuart Broad in 2007 T20 World Cup) and Garfield Sobers (against Malcolm Nash in 1968 first-class cricket) had previously achieved the feat in any form of significant cricket. Perera's six sixes set the tone for a remarkable Sri Lanka victory and confirmed his status as one of the most dangerous hitters in world cricket.

Captaincy and Later Career

Perera served as Sri Lanka's limited-overs captain in 2019, captaining in both ODIs and T20Is. His leadership in the middle order — where he batted and bowled — gave him particular insight into match situations. His bowling, though secondary to his batting fame, brought important wickets at crucial moments in several series. He retired from international cricket in 2019 after his captaincy stint, having contributed to Sri Lanka across a decade of transition.