Sri Lankan skipper comes up with a stunner to beat Australia in final game of T20 series
Sri Lanka’s captain Dasun Shanaka plays a shot during the third and final Twenty20 international against Australia at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. Pic/AFP
Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka said he read the Kandy pitch well to smash an unbeaten 54 to get his team over the line by four wickets in the third T20 International against Australia on Saturday night.
Sri Lanka got to their 177-run target with one ball to spare against the T20 World Cup winners.
Shanaka and Chamika Karunaratne scored 75 in the last five overs to prevent Australia from running away with 3-0 series honours.
“At the initial moment when I went out to the crease, I took a few balls to get in. I think my strike rate was around 50. I read the wicket really well, and kept my wicket in the other side without throwing it away. And in the end I was hoping I’d be able to finish the game. Toss is always important in Sri Lanka, and maybe it wasn’t the best decision to bat first. We hope to take this momentum forward into the ODI series,” Shanaka was quoted as saying after the match by ESPN Cricinfo.
His rival captain Aaron Finch said: “I’m happy with our performance throughout the series, it was just an unbelievable knock by Dasun tonight.” Shanaka and Finch were adjudged player of the match and player of the series respectively.
