Kusal Mendis's unbeaten 87 gives Sri Lanka final T20I win in Rawalpindi

Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis struck a blistering unbeaten 87 off 48 balls to guide the visitors to an eight-wicket consolation win over Pakistan in the third and final T20 International at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Chasing 169, Sri Lanka reached 172-2 in 17.1 overs, with 17 balls to spare, Dawn reported. Pakistan had already sealed the series by winning the first two matches, so the hosts take the series 2-1.

Farhan rescues Pakistan

Pakistan were in trouble at 86-5 and then 102-6 before captain Sahibzada Farhan and Arafat Minhas led a recovery. The pair added 66 for the seventh wicket to lift the hosts to 168-8.

• Sahibzada Farhan: 76 off 47 balls, with seven fours and three sixes, his third consecutive half-century, before falling to Nuwan Thushara in the penultimate over
• Arafat Minhas: 34 not out off 20 balls, with two fours and two sixes
• Dasun Shanaka: the pick of Sri Lanka’s bowlers with 3-21 in four overs, removing Khawaja Nafay, Imran Randhawa and Abdul Samad

Mendis takes control

Pakistan struck early when Imran Randhawa trapped Lahiru Udara lbw for one in the second over with a delivery that swung in sharply. But Sineth Jayawardena and Kusal Mendis took Sri Lanka to 59-1 at the end of the powerplay, their best of the series.

Jayawardena hit 38 off 26 balls before he was caught at long-on off Arafat Minhas in the eighth over, leaving Sri Lanka at 74-2. It was Pakistan’s last breakthrough.

Kusal and Kamindu Mendis then added an unbroken 98 for the third wicket:

• Kusal Mendis: 87 not out off 48 balls, with nine fours and four sixes, reaching his fifty in 33 balls
• Kamindu Mendis: 40 not out off 27 balls, with four fours

The pair brought up Sri Lanka’s 100 in the 11th over, with the visitors already well ahead of the asking rate.

Chances missed

Pakistan’s bowlers struggled with their lines, and the fielders let chances slip. Abdul Samad lost his balance near the boundary and could not complete a catch when Kusal launched Arafat over long-off after reaching his fifty, and Sufyan Moqim dropped a return catch from the Sri Lankan captain in the 15th over. Short deliveries and loose balls outside off stump kept the runs flowing.

Up next: the Test series

The two sides now turn to a two-Test series in the World Test Championship. The first Test begins in Rawalpindi on November 9, with the second in Lahore from November 17 to 21, The Express Tribune reported. Kusal Mendis will lead Sri Lanka, and Pathum Nissanka is in the 15-man squad subject to fitness.

Why it matters

Pakistan won the series, but the final match exposed weaknesses with the ball and in the field that the team will want to fix. Farhan’s third fifty in a row was the bright spot. Read our report on how Pakistan sealed the series.

This article draws on reporting by Dawn and The Express Tribune.