'Mad, mad game!': Sri Lanka's Akila Dananjaya takes hat-trick in second over; gets hit for six sixes in next
In his second over of the game, Akila Dananjaya made a potentially match-winning contribution for Sri Lanka, removing Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran off successive deliveries for a hat-trick.
Little did the spinner know that his very next over would turn the game on its head. West Indies captain Kieron Pollard displayed an incredible show of aggression to slam six sixes in Dananjaya's third over, and the innings' sixth.
This has never happened before in international cricket -- after all, only three cricketers have hit six sixes in an over in international matches so far.
Dananjaya ended the innings with 4-0-62-3, as West Indies beat Sri Lanka by four wickets in the first of three T20Is in Antigua.
After the game, Pollard said that he began to aim for six sixes after slamming the third six of the over.
"After the third one (on when he thought about hitting six sixes in the over) - I felt after hitting a couple of sixes, I understood how the pitch plays, it was important to be positive and play your shots on that pitch, back yourselves to clear the boundary - just happy that I managed to contribute to the team's cause at that point of time," Pollard said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
"A couple of things went through my mind before the sixth ball - before the last ball, I thought should I go for the six or take the 30 runs in the over, he went around the wicket and bowled it onto my pads, I told myself 'Wait Polly, take a chance'.
"That's how I have played my cricket all along, especially against the spinners. Today was my day, unfortunate for him, but this was a good win for our team."
Here's how Twitter reacted to the turn of fortunes for Dananjaya:
