Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera shared an unbeaten century partnership for the second wicket, guiding Sri Lanka to their first-ever T20I series victory against the West Indies, with a 9-wicket win in the third and final T20I played in Dambulla.
West Indies captain opted to bat first after winning the toss while making two changes. Andre Fletcher and Shamar Springer were replaced by Shai Hope and Fabian Allen.
>>Nissanka, Wellalage shine in Sri Lanka’s series-levelling win
On the other hand, Sri Lanka maintained the same combination that led them to victory in the previous match.
West Indies (Playing XI): Evin Lewis, Brandon King, Shai Hope (wk), Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Rovman Powell (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Fabian Allen, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka (c), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwan Thushara
Theekshana bowled exceptionally well during the powerplay, dismissing both openers. It was the perfect start for Sri Lanka when he sent Evin Lewis back for a golden duck in the first over, followed by Brandon King, who was out for 23 in the sixth over, leaving the score at 42. Surprisingly, the mystery spinner didn’t complete his four-over spell, finishing with figures of 2 for 19 in three overs.
>>Brutal King and Lewis steer West Indies to winning start
The spinners continued to wreak havoc, restricting the visitors to 62 for 5 at the start of the 12th over, with the quick dismissals of Chase, Hope, and Rutherford.
Powell and Motie revived the innings with a brisk 54-run partnership for the sixth wicket off just 26 balls, with the latter igniting the momentum by hitting four consecutive boundaries—4, 6, 6, 6—in Wellalage’s final over. Wellalage ended up wicketless, finishing with 36 runs in four overs. Hasaranga made the breakthrough when Motie was stumped by Mendis after scoring 32 off 15 balls.
The Windies captain scored 37, while Shepherd added 18 before being dismissed by two slingers, Pathirana and Thushara. They finished their innings at 162 for 8 in 20 overs, with Hasaranga bowling well in the middle phase, ending with figures of 2 for 24 in four overs.
Nissanka and Mendis provided the hosts with a great start, scoring 60 runs in just 5.2 overs. The former was the aggressor, batting positively from the outset and racing to 39 off just 22 balls before being bowled by Motie. His innings included 7 fours and a six.
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Then, it was all about the two Kusals, who put together an impressive unbeaten century partnership of 106 off just 76 deliveries for the second wicket, guiding Sri Lanka to a comfortable 9-wicket victory and win the series 2-1.
Both batters registered their 15th half-centuries in T20 Internationals, which is the joint-highest number of half-centuries for Sri Lanka in the format. The opener remained not out on 68 off 50 balls, consisting of 5 fours and 3 sixes, while Perera finished with an unbeaten 55 off 36 balls, which included 7 fours.
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon King | b Nuwan Thushara | 23 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 121.05 |
| Evin Lewis | b Nuwan Thushara | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Shai Hope | c Pathum Nissanka b Wanindu Hasaranga | 18 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 72.00 |
| Roston Chase | c & b Kamindu Mendis | 8 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 61.54 |
| Sherfane Rutherford | b Charith Asalanka | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 120.00 |
| Rovman Powell | c Bhanuka Rajapakse b Matheesha Pathirana | 37 | 27 | 1 | 3 | 137.04 |
| Gudakesh Motie | st Kusal Mendis b Wanindu Hasaranga | 32 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 213.33 |
| Romario Shepherd | b Nuwan Thushara | 18 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 150.00 |
| Fabian Allen | not out | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 400.00 |
| Alzarri Joseph | not out | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 200.00 |
| Extras | 14 (b 4 , lb 2 , nb 0, w 8, pen 0) |
| Total | 162/8 (20 Overs, RR: 8.1) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maheesh Theekshana | 3 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 6.33 | |
| Nuwan Thushara | 2 | 0 | 27 | 1 | 13.50 | |
| Dunith Wellalage | 4 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 9.00 | |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | 4 | 0 | 24 | 2 | 6.00 | |
| Kamindu Mendis | 3 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 7.00 | |
| Charith Asalanka | 2 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 7.00 | |
| Matheesha Pathirana | 2 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 7.50 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | b Gudakesh Motie | 39 | 22 | 7 | 1 | 177.27 |
| Kusal Mendis | not out | 68 | 50 | 5 | 3 | 136.00 |
| Kusal Perera | not out | 55 | 36 | 7 | 0 | 152.78 |
| Extras | 4 (b 0 , lb 0 , nb 0, w 4, pen 0) |
| Total | 166/1 (18 Overs, RR: 9.22) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fabian Allen | 2 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 11.50 | |
| Alzarri Joseph | 3 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 12.67 | |
| Gudakesh Motie | 4 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 7.75 | |
| Shamar Joseph | 2 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 13.00 | |
| Romario Shepherd | 3 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 8.00 | |
| Roston Chase | 4 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 6.00 | |
