SL vs AUS Match Highlights:
On Saturday, Sri Lanka won the third and final T20I against Australia in Pallekele, chasing down 177 runs. Australia had already clinched the series going into the final game. But this turned out to be the most exciting game of the series.
It was so because came down to the wire. Dasun Shanaka, Sri Lanka’s captain, blasted 54 runs off only 25 balls. This helped his team finish the series on a high note and gain some momentum going into the ODI series.
Shanaka then went on to hit five fours and four sixes in an undefeated 54-run knock of 25 balls.
In the 18th over of the game, the right-handed batsman also struck Josh Hazlewood for 20 runs off four balls, swinging the tide in Sri Lanka’s favor.
Sri Lanka scored 59 runs in the final three overs of the game, the highest any side has scored in the final three overs of a T20 game.
Chamika Karunaratne, like Shanaka, was undefeated on 14 off 10 balls.
When it came to the game between Sri Lanka and Australia, the latter batted first and finished with a total of 176/5 in 20 overs. David Warner (39), Steven Smith (37*), and Marcus Stoinis (38) all contributed key runs to assist the visitors to surpass the 170-run milestone.
David Warner and skipper Aaron Finch (29) put up a 43-run partnership, followed by a 42-run stand with Glenn Maxwell, but Sri Lanka took three wickets in three deliveries, with Maxwell going for 16 off 9, Warner for 39 off 33, and Josh Inglis for a first-ball duck.
Sri Lanka was already in trouble when Shanaka stepped out to bat in the 13th over of the innings, chasing 177. The captain, on the other hand, led from the front, and when the winning shot was made, the entire Pallekele Stadium exploded in ecstasy.
Maheesh Theekshana took two wickets for Sri Lanka, with Wanindu Hasaranga and Praveen Jayawickrama each taking one.
Australia won the T20I series 2-1, and the five-match ODI series will begin on Tuesday in Pallekele.
