Dasun Shanaka smashed the fastest century in a Caribbean T20 tournament’s history to help St Kitts and Nevis register a commanding 137-run win over St Lucia at Warner Park in Basseterre on Thursday.
The Sri Lankan all-rounder smashed eight fours and 12 sixes on his way to a blistering unbeaten 121 off 43 balls at a strike rate of 281.39, producing his fourth T20 hundred overall and a Player of the Match performance.
He is now the second-highest run-scorer in the ongoing league, with 255 runs at an average of 85.00 and a strike rate of 229.72.
"Initially, my plan was just to play according to the merit of the ball, the field placements, and what they offered," Shanaka explained. "After getting to about 30 runs, I felt the wicket was really good, so whenever the ball was in my arc, I decided to take my chances. Luckily, everything worked out for me tonight - it was just one of those days."
Shanaka, who represents the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, reached his hundred off just 39 balls to become the fastest centurion in the history of the league.
Andre Russell, who scored a 40-ball century for Jamaica against Trinbago in 2018, was the previous record holder.
The 34-year-old Shanaka broke several records during his extraordinary knock. His 121 not out became the highest individual score in franchise history, surpassing Evin Lewis’ unbeaten 102 from the 2021 edition of the tournament.
Dasun Shanaka’s 104 runs in boundaries - eight fours and 12 sixes - was also the most by a player in franchise history, eclipsing another Lewis effort from 2017, while his 12 sixes were the most by a St Kitts and Nevis player in a single innings.
Promoted up the order, Shanaka entered the crease in the 10th over with the Patriots on 89/2 and began his onslaught soon after, hitting Joshua Bishop for two fours before smashing Roston Chase for two sixes in the next couple of overs.
He struck another six to race to his fifty off just 24 balls before reaching his century in only 39 deliveries.
Shanaka, in fact, went into overdrive in the death overs, scoring 74 runs from the final 20 balls and finishing in spectacular fashion by smashing four sixes and a boundary in the last over.
His remarkable innings propelled his side to 235/4 and set them up for a thumping victory.
"Dasun has been in great form, so we wanted to utilize him as much as possible," St Kitts and Nevis captain Jason Holder said about promoting Shanaka up the order. "Today the situation worked out - he got a few more balls and capitalised on every single one.
"The way he played was so well-poised at the beginning, giving himself a chance before being extremely explosive at the back end, just as we've seen from him over the years. Huge credit to him for how he paced and finished the innings."
