Dandenong Panther Gehan Seneviratne’s matchwinning six in Victorian Premier Cricket

Three to win off the last ball of the game – and Gehan Seneviratne sent it fizzing over the fence and then “sort of went off a little bit”.

The shot was a blast. The celebration was even better.

Dandenong Second XI player Gehan Seneviratne supplied one of the highlights of the Victorian Premier Cricket season on Saturday when he hit the last delivery of the match for six to give the Panthers victory over Melbourne University at Shepley Oval.

As the ball sailed over the boundary, Seneviratne charged halfway down the wicket then turned to set out for his exultant teammates, dropping his bat, removing his helmet and roaring all the way.

“It was an amazing sight, one of the best things I’ve seen in cricket,’’ Dandenong president Gary Davidson said.

Dandenong was chasing 6-265 and needed 12 off the last over, delivered by Uni left-arm paceman James Browning.

Right-hander Seneviratne cracked the second ball for six over mid-wicket, swung mightily and missed the third, and scrambled a single off the fourth.

His batting partner Braden Taueber took a single from the fifth delivery, bringing Seneviratne back on strike with the score on 8-263.

The 100-over match had come down to the last ball, with Dandenong needing three for victory.

Fortunately for Seneviratne, it was a waist-high full toss (called a no-ball) – and he sent it fizzing over the fence.

“Sort of still can’t believe it,’’ the 24-year-old civil site engineer said this morning.

“It’s been a couple of days since it happened. The reality of it has sunk in a little bit but not completely.

Gehan Seneviratne of Dandenong.

“To be honest, I got pretty lucky. He gave me a full toss and I hit it. I was a bit nervous because I didn’t think I completely got it. I got it quite high up on the bat and I thought,

‘Shit, I’ve got too much height on this’. As soon as the fielder gave up on it, I thought you little beauty – and sort of went off a little bit.

“It hasn’t happened to me before and the chances of it happening again would be like a 200-1 chance getting up at a racetrack on a Wednesday. It just won’t happen.’’

He said of his celebration: “It was a little bit of frustration coming out. We’d dropped our last two games and I wrote up on the whiteboard before we played, ‘Back on the winner’s list’. I hate losing. I hate losing probably more than the next bloke.’’

Despite his matchwinning innings, Seneviratne said he considered himself mainly a leg-spinner.

“I’m a much better bowler than I am batsman,’’ he said.

Seneviratne is in his second season with the Panthers, having crossed from Carlton.

Davidson said the club was thrilled for Seneviratne, whom he called a dedicated, determined and passionate young cricketer.