By Bipin Dani

Former Sri Lankan all-rounder Kaushalya Weeraratne would have been happy to see Thisara Perera break his fastest fifty record. 

Last Sunday, Perera just missed out on the record, scoring fifty in 13 balls, in a List A match between Army SC and Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club. He did however, become just the ninth cricketer to score six sixes in an over in a professional cricket match. 

Weeraratne scored a fifty in just 12 balls in 2005. 

Speaking exclusively over the telephone from Australia, where he plays for Narre South Cricket Club and also does personal coaching, Weeraratne said, "Thisara was close enough to break my record. I would have been happy had he done so. Records are there to be broken and I feel for him that he came so close but could not do it.”

Kaushalya, however, is happy that Thisara hit six sixes in an over. 

He became the first Sri Lankan to hit six sixes in an over in any form of professional cricket. 

"That was great effort by Thisara to hit six sixes in an over and get a fifty from 13 balls. It was a great achievement for him". 

Recalling his own 12-ball fifty, Weeraratne said, "Oh, that was in 2005 against Kurunegala YCC. It was a reduced overs match and I went in the latter part of the innings. I hit five sixers and one went for a four in one over. I got 68 runs in 18 balls." 

"I was playing for Ragama CC at that time and I didn’t know that it was a record until the match was finished,” he also said.