Kusal Mendis’ unbeaten 87 powers Sri Lanka to eight-wicket win over Pakistan in third T20I

Captain Kusal Mendis scored an unbeaten 87 to guide Sri Lanka to an eight-wicket victory over Pakistan in the third and final T20I at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. The visitors chased down a target of 169 with 17 balls remaining, avoiding a series whitewash as Pakistan secured a 2-1 series win.

Kusal led the chase with an unbeaten 87 off 48 balls, while Kamindu Mendis scored 40 not out. Their unbroken 92-run partnership for the third wicket helped Sri Lanka reach the target with 17 balls to spare.

Sri Lanka had lost Lahiru Udara early when Mohammad Imran Randhawa trapped the opener lbw for one in the second over, with 15 runs on the board.

Kusal joined Sineth Jayawardena at the crease, and the pair added 59 runs for the second wicket to put the visitors in control.

Kusal finished with nine fours and four sixes in his 48-ball innings. Kamindu supported him with an unbeaten 40 off 27 deliveries, including four boundaries. Randhawa and Minhas took one wicket each for Pakistan.

How did Pakistan post 168?

Pakistan scored 168-8 in 20 overs after being put in to bat, with captain Sahibzada Farhan leading the innings with 76 off 47 balls. His knock featured seven fours and three sixes and helped Pakistan recover after losing wickets in the middle overs.

Farhan and Fakhar Zaman gave the hosts an aggressive start, putting together 34 runs in the first three overs. Eshan Malinga then struck twice in the fourth over, dismissing Fakhar for 12 and Maaz Sadaqat for a duck.

Farhan joined Hasan Nawaz to steady the innings, with the pair adding 33 runs before Vijayakanth Viyaskanth dismissed Hasan for 16 off 17 deliveries in the ninth over.

Dasun Shanaka then removed wicketkeeper-batter Khawaja Nafay for three before dismissing Mohammad Imran for six and Abdul Samad for 15.

Shanaka’s three wickets left Pakistan struggling at 102/6. Farhan and Arafat Minhas responded with a 66-run partnership for the seventh wicket, giving the hosts a late boost.

Who were Sri Lanka’s leading bowlers?

Dasun Shanaka led Sri Lanka’s bowling effort with three wickets for 21 runs in four overs. His spell helped restrict Pakistan after the hosts had made a fast start and left them needing a late recovery to reach a competitive total.

Eshan Malinga and Nuwan Thushara claimed two wickets each, while Vijayakanth Viyaskanth took one. Thushara dismissed Farhan on the penultimate delivery of the innings before bowling Razaullah for a duck off the final ball.

Minhas remained unbeaten on 34 off 20 balls, hitting two fours and two sixes to help Pakistan finish on 168/8.

Pakistan won the three-match T20I series 2-1 despite losing the final match by eight wickets. Sri Lanka’s victory in Rawalpindi helped the visitors avoid a whitewash.