The Mendises carry Sri Lanka to victory
Sri Lanka CricketNews article
Superb batting from Kusal Mendis, who finished unbeaten on 87, and Kamindu Mendis, not out on 40, powered Sri Lanka to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Pakistan in the third Twenty20 International played today (the 13th). The two Mendises put together an unbroken 98-run stand for the third wicket off 56 balls, reaching the target of 169 in 17.1 overs to take Sri Lanka to victory.
Although Sri Lanka won this match in Rawalpindi, Pakistan had taken the first two matches and so claimed the series 2-1. Strengthened by Kusal Mendis's record-breaking knock, Sri Lanka also passed the notable milestone of becoming the first country to win five Twenty20 Internationals against Pakistan on their home soil.
Chasing a victory target of 169, Sri Lanka won the match by reaching 172 for the loss of only two wickets with 17 balls to spare. Captain Kusal Mendis's outstanding effort with the bat, an unbeaten 87, was the biggest factor in Sri Lanka's win.
With this innings, Kusal Mendis also became the batter with the most runs for Sri Lanka in Twenty20 International cricket. The record had previously been held by Pathum Nissanka.
Pakistan, who won the toss and batted first, could manage only 168 for eight at the end of their allotted 20 overs. Opening batter and captain Sahibzada Farhan was the top scorer of the Pakistan innings with 76 off 47 balls, including seven fours and three sixes. His aggressive batting gave Pakistan the chance to move towards a competitive total.
Besides Farhan, Arafat Minhas made an unbeaten 34 off 20 balls with two fours and two sixes. However, as the Sri Lankan bowlers did not allow the other batters to build long innings, Pakistan were unable to maintain the run rate they had hoped for in the closing overs.
Dasun Shanaka stood out with the ball for Sri Lanka, taking three wickets for 21 runs. Nuwan Thushara took two wickets for 38 runs, while Eshan Malinga also claimed two wickets for 38. Vijayakanth Viyaskanth took one wicket and restricted his four overs to 23 runs. Binura Fernando could not take a wicket, and the Pakistan batters scored 45 runs off his four overs.
Sri Lanka, who came out to chase the target of 169, lost the wicket of Lahiru Udara before even the first two overs were completed. He was dismissed for one run due to a poor decision by the umpire. Udara was given out by the main umpire for lbw, and the opening batter suffered the disadvantage of not opting to review the decision. Sinethu Jayawardena and Kusal Mendis then came together to build the innings while putting the Pakistan bowlers under heavy pressure.
Sinethu Jayawardena made 38 off 26 balls with five fours and two sixes. The 59-run second-wicket partnership between him and Kusal laid the foundation Sri Lanka needed to go on to victory. By the end of the seventh over, Sri Lanka's scoreboard had climbed to 74 with only two wickets down.
After Jayawardena was dismissed, Kamindu Mendis joined Kusal Mendis and also batted aggressively to put the Pakistan bowlers under further pressure. Kusal made an unbeaten 87 off 48 balls with nine fours and four sixes. He scored at a strike rate of 181.25, and his innings, which drove Sri Lanka towards victory, was the standout performance of the match.
Batting unbeaten at the other end, Kamindu Mendis made 40 off 27 balls with four fours. The unbroken 98-run third-wicket partnership between Kusal and Kamindu handed Sri Lanka a comfortable victory.
The confidence shown by the Sri Lankan batters under Kusal's captaincy and the control shown by the bowlers during the Pakistan innings were the standout features of this win. Sri Lanka chased the target at a rate of 10.01 runs per over, and the final result made it clear that they had held the greater control of the match.
Pakistan – 168/8 (20 overs) – Sahibzada Farhan 76, Arafat Minhas not out 34, Hasan Nawaz 16, Abdul Samad 15, Fakhar Zaman 12, Dasun Shanaka 21/3, Nuwan Thushara 38/2, Eshan Malinga 38/2, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth 23/1.
Sri Lanka – 172/2 (17.1 overs) – Kusal Mendis not out 87, Kamindu Mendis not out 40, Sinethu Jayawardena 38, Lahiru Udara 01, Arafat Minhas 26/1, Mohammad Imran 31/1.
Based on Sri Lanka Cricket reporting