Sri Lanka vs Australia 3rd T20I: Dasum Shanaka blitzkrieg 54 steals win for Sri Lanka
Though Australia takes the series home, Dasun Shanaka's unbeaten 54 off 25 helped Sri Lanka register a thrilling win in the third and final T20I against Australia to avoid a whitewash
Sri Lanka's Dasun ShanakaThe skipper played the blinder and must have given them much confidence going into the ODI series.
A clinical performance by top-order
Australia, winning the toss, opted to bat first. David Warner had a 43-run stand with skipper Aaron Finch (29) before Theekshana bowled out Aaron Finch. Warner then built a 42-run stand with Glenn Maxwell (16). Steven Smith took to the fields along with David Warner, and yet again, Theekshana strikes in the form of Warner (39). Smith then stitched a 48-run partnership with Marcus Stoinis (38), followed by a 43-run stand along with Matthew Wade (13*). A clinical contribution from all the batters as Australia posted a challenging total of 176 at a loss of 5 wickets.
Dasun Shanaka: the architect of this chase
To chase the total, Sri Lanka got off to a pretty good start with the bat. Danushka Gunathilaka lost his wicket early to Josh Hazlewood, scoring 15 off 12, whereas Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka stitched 42 runs in partnership. Marcus Stoinis broke the partnership by dismissing Asalanka (26). Sri Lanka saw a little collapse, losing Bhanuka Rajapaksa (17), Kusal Mendis (6) and Wanindu Hasaranga (8) for a low score. Hosts went down to 108/6 in the 16th over. It was then when skipper Dasun Shanaka with Chamika Karunaratne powered to smash Australian bowlers to fetch 68 runs in 24 balls. With still a little hope to tie the match, as one run was needed in 1 ball, the final ball went for an anticlimax, the match ending with a wide ball.
Aaron Finch (Player of the Series) said, "I think we have all the bases covered, it was an unbelievable knock by Shanaka tonight. We thought the pitch slowed a bit towards the back end of our innings. It didn't make much of a difference, batting first or second on this wicket. We are really comfortable with the depth of our team."
Dasun Shanaka (Player of the Match) said, "I took a few balls to get in. I read the wicket well, so I didn't throw my wicket away. Process is always important. They took a brave decision to bat first, it wasn't the best idea to bat first in these conditions. We should take this momentum in the ODI series moving forward."
The T20I series ended with Aaron Finch being handed the champions trophy as they won the series by 2-1. Sri Lanka was terrific with their bat to give a tough fight and avoid a clean sweep. With the T20I series concluding, the teams now move to the ODI series, which will commence on Tuesday, 14th June 2022.