Remarkable achievement by Vishmi Gunaratne
Vishmi Gunaratne, the skipper of Rathnawali Balika Vidyalaya Gampaha, established a new batting record in the history of Sri Lanka Girls’ Cricket by being the first Quadruple Centurion. She is a member of the Sri Lanka National Women’s squad and has a bright future .
The 16-year-old Vishmi Gunaratne made the highest score (417) in the U19 Girls Inter Schools Cricket Tournament, guiding her side Rathnavali Balika Vidyalaya to the Quarter-finals of the tournament. Rathnavali Balika Vidyalaya opted to bat first against Jayasiripura Kanishta Vidyalaya in the Pre-Quarter Final at MB cricket grounds Negombo.
Vishmi Gunaratne’s incredible knock of 417 runs off 128 balls with 49 fours and 29 sixes at a strike rate of 325.78 guided them to post a mammoth score of 567/2 in the allotted 30 overs.
However Jayasiripura Kanishta Vidyalaya , Girls from Polonnaruwa were bowled out for just 35 runs, handing a massive 532-run victory to Rathnavali Balika Vidyalaya. This is also the highest team total and margin of victory in tournament history, according to available records.
Getting 417 runs in 128 balls is a remarkable achievement .Vishmi scored 370 runs from boundaries and sixes (29 sixes and 49 fours) while she picked up only 47 runs from singles and doubles to build up her marathon innings
The right hand opener first came to the limelight last year by scoring a century for Seenigama Ladies cricket team against Chilaw Marians CC .As a 15 year old player Vishmi did this and she also created a new record as the youngest women’s player to score a century in List A cricket tournament in Sri Lanka.
Vishmi Gunaratne is a talented cricketer and a athlete in Ratnawali BMV.She is also a good sprinter .As an athlete she is taking part in 100m and 200m.She was a member of the College 100m under 15 relay team which set up a new record at the 2019 John Tarbet Junior athletic meet and they were able to erase a 20 year old record . Vishmi also won the Sri Lankan junior colours from both 100m and 200m and she is very keen to continue athletics as well as cricket along with her studies .
Her cricket performance of the school paved the way for her to join Seenigama Ladies cricket at club level two years ago and then she got a chance to enter the National team .She was a member of the National women’s team at the last Commonwealth qualifying cricket tournament held in Malaysia in which Sri Lanka team emerged champions to qualify for the next Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
She was very keen to play cricket from her childhood .First she played with her brothers friends and those days Vishmi was keen to play long innings ..Vishmi’ s family was living in Algama village in Warakapola and she started her schooling at Algama Kanishta Vidyalaya .However when she passed the grade five scholarship exam she got a chance to enter Gampaha Ratnawali BMV and that was the turning point of her sporting career.
Vishmi’s father Aruna Shantha Gunaratne is an engineer by profession and he always encourages his children to take part in sports and also excel in education and his ambition is to see achievements from both sports and studies.Aruna Shantha Gunaratne was a talented sprinter at Tholangamuwa Central who shone at National level
Vishmi’ s brother Kavieesha Anupama is a former Bandaranayke College Gampaha cricketer while her elder sister Nethmi Nimsara is also playing cricket at Ratnawali BMV and this always encourages Vishmi to continue her cricket career
Actually Vishmi started her cricket career from Ratnawali BMV and her first half century was scored against Kuruwita Vidyalaya in 2015 followed by 99 against Okkampitiya MV in 2018 and scored her first century at club cricket last year for Seenigama Ladies against Chilaw Marians CC creating a new record being the youngest player to score a century .
Vishmi Gunaratne is grateful to her school Principal Hema Jayawardena who is also
the Vice President of the Sri Lanka Schools cricket Association (SLSCA) and MIC Anusha Gunasekara and her coaches Asela Senaratne, Ishan Rangana ,Gayan Munasinghe and her personal coach Anusha Samaranayake .Her father Aruna Shantha and mother Dhammika Priyanthi Wijeratne always encourage her to continue sports as well as education.