Perera ton gives Sri Lanka consolation win

 Kusal Perera celebrates his century 

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya

Kusal Janith Perera’s scintillating century guided Sri Lanka to a thrilling seven-run victory over New Zealand in the third and final T20I in Nelson yesterday. 

This marked Sri Lanka’s first T20I win in New Zealand since 2006, although the hosts clinched the series 2-1.

New Zealand won the toss and opted to bowl first, with Sri Lanka posting a challenging total of 218 for five in their 20 overs. 

Perera was the star of the innings, smashing a career-best 101 off just 46 balls. His knock, which included 13 fours and 4 sixes, made him the fastest Sri Lankan to score a century in T20 internationals.

In response, New Zealand fought hard but fell short, finishing at 211 for seven after 20 overs. Sri Lanka’s bowlers held their nerve to secure the narrow win.

Kusal Perera was named Player of the Match for his explosive 46-ball 101, while Jacob Duffy was awarded Player of the Series for his impressive eight wickets across the T20 series.

“Scoring a hundred is always special. When I went into bat, I got a wake-up call on the first ball and it was good to get on from there.

Normally, subcontinental tracks are effective for spinners, but fast bowlers dominate here. In the last few games, a couple of batters got starts but couldn’t finish. But the coach said that batters who get a start need to finish games,” Perera said at the presentation.

Sri Lanka’s captain, Charith Asalanka, expressed his confidence in the team’s ability to defeat New Zealand despite the first two losses in the series.

“It’s a good win for us. Throughout the series, we played good cricket but couldn’t get a win. Finally, we got it. I was bowling in home conditions but haven’t bowled much here, so we had to try something different since we were short of one bowler,” Asalanka commented on the win.

Looking ahead to the upcoming ODI series, Asalanka said that the 50-over format offers an opportunity for a momentum shift.

“The upcoming ODI series is a chance for us to build momentum. New Zealand are playing very good cricket, but we hope to do well in the ODIs,” he said.

The first of three One-Day Internationals between New Zealand and Sri Lanka takes place in Wellington on Sunday.