Media365
Blistering half-centuries from Pavan Rathnayake and skipper Dasun Shanaka, along with a composed fifty from Kusal Mendis, powered Sri Lanka to a commanding 105-run victory over Oman in their T20 World Cup Group B clash on Thursday.Rathnayake (60 off 28 balls) and Shanaka (50 off 20) rediscovered form, while Kusal (61 off 45) played the anchor’s role as Sri Lanka piled up a formidable 225/5 — their second-highest total in T20 World Cup history and the highest score of the tournament so far — after Oman elected to bowl.
Oman’s chase never found momentum as early blows left them reeling under scoreboard pressure, eventually restricting them to 120/9.Captain Jatinder Singh was cleaned up by Dushmantha Chameera in the opening over, with Aamir Kaleem and Hammad Mirza departing soon after for single-digit scores as Oman slumped to 36/3 inside the Powerplay. Chameera struck twice with the new ball to finish with figures of 2/19, while Maheesh Theekshana was economical and incisive, returning 2/11 from his four overs.There was a brief counter-attack when Wasim Ali took on Dushan Hemantha, smashing two consecutive sixes to lift Oman to 75/3 after 11 overs. However, the resistance was short-lived as Oman lost three wickets in six balls to slip to 91/6.Theekshana sparked the collapse by dismissing the fluent Wasim for 27 off 20 balls, caught by Kusal. A direct hit from Kamil Mishara ran out Vinayak Shukla the very next delivery before Kusal effected a sharp stumping to remove Jiten Ramanandi for a golden duck.Mohammad Nadeem, returning after missing the opener, fought a lone battle with a valiant half-century, the 43-year-old bringing up his third T20I fifty in 71 appearances.Earlier, Rathnayake made amends for a disappointing World Cup debut against Ireland, where he fell for 5, by producing a sparkling maiden T20 World Cup fifty off just 24 balls. The 23-year-old struck eight fours and a six, surpassing his previous best of 40 at the venue earlier this month.Rathnayake and Kusal added a rapid 94 off 52 balls, keeping the run rate above nine through the middle overs while rotating strike efficiently, with 40 of Sri Lanka’s 96 runs at the halfway mark coming through singles and doubles.Kusal, playing the senior partner’s role to perfection, punished the Oman spinners for width and struck seven fours in his knock before being run out in the penultimate over.Shanaka, who had struggled in the build-up with scores of 1, 4 and 0, turned the tide at the death with a stunning 19-ball fifty — the fastest by a Sri Lankan in T20 World Cup history. He took apart Nadeem Khan and Sufyan Mehmood with a flurry of boundaries and sixes before falling alongside Kusal in the 19th over.Kamindu Mendis (19 not out off 7 balls) provided the finishing touches, hammering two successive sixes off Shah Faisal as Sri Lanka plundered 65 runs in the final four overs to seal a statement win.The 2014 champions now sit atop Group B with two wins from two matches, ahead of Australia and Zimbabwe, who have one victory each.
