Jobaaj Stories
Kusal Perera played an incredible knock of 101 runs off just 46 balls to help Sri Lanka secure a seven-run win in the third and final Twenty20 match against New Zealand in Nelson on Thursday. Perera's performance set multiple records, including the fastest T20I century by a Sri Lankan, which he scored in just 44 balls. He also broke Kusal Mendis’ record for the most 50-plus scores by a Sri Lankan in T20Is, with this being his 16th such score.
Thanks to Perera’s explosive batting, Sri Lanka posted a challenging total of 218-5 in their 20 overs. Perera hit four sixes and 13 fours, playing a blistering innings that made the total look impressive. However, New Zealand, who had already won the first two matches of the series, needed a record-breaking chase to complete a clean sweep. They managed to score 211-7 in their 20 overs, falling just short by seven runs.
Perera's innings wasn’t without luck, as he was dropped twice, once at 15 and again at 60. He was eventually caught out by Rachin Ravindra in the penultimate over. Perera admitted that being dropped gave him a boost to keep playing aggressively. "It was a wake-up call, so I had to back myself and try to execute my normal game," he said after the match.
Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka, who also played well with a quick-fire 46 runs off 24 balls, was pleased with the team’s performance. He said, "It's a good win for us. Throughout the series, we have played good cricket but couldn't manage to get a win, and finally, we got it."
Sri Lanka’s innings started strong with a 41-run partnership between Perera and Avishka Fernando (17). Later, Perera added a huge partnership of 100 runs with Asalanka. New Zealand, in response, fought hard with Ravindra scoring 69 runs off 39 balls. However, they couldn’t quite manage to chase down the total and finished at 211-7.
Despite winning the match, Sri Lanka had already lost the series as New Zealand had won the first two games. Sri Lanka now turns their focus to the upcoming three-match ODI series, with the first match taking place on Sunday in Wellington.
