Captain Kusal Mendis smashed an unbeaten 87 off 48 balls as Sri Lanka chased 169 to beat Pakistan by eight wickets in the 3rd T20I in Rawalpindi, a consolation win in a series Pakistan took 2-1.
Sri Lanka finally put a win on the board in Pakistan. Chasing 169 in the 3rd T20I at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, captain Kusal Mendis led from the front with an unbeaten 87 off 48 balls, and the visitors romped home by eight wickets with 17 balls to spare. Pakistan had already sealed the series 2-1, so this one was pride, and Sri Lanka took it with both hands.
| At a glance | Detail |
|---|---|
| Match | 3rd T20I, Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Tuesday 13 October 2026, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium |
| Result | Sri Lanka 172/2 in 17.1 overs beat Pakistan 168/8 in 20 overs by 8 wickets |
| Star | Kusal Mendis 87* off 48 balls (9 fours, 4 sixes) |
| Stand | Unbroken 98 off 55 balls for the 3rd wicket with Kamindu Mendis (40*) |
| Series | Pakistan won the three-match series 2-1 |
| Awards | Player of the Match: Kusal Mendis; Player of the Series: Sahibzada Farhan (238 runs) |
The Mendis show
The chase wobbled for exactly one ball of momentum. Lahiru Udara fell early, then Sineth Jayawardene's brisk 38 off 26 steadied things before Kamindu Mendis joined his brother. From there it was one-way traffic: Kusal attacked from ball one, finished 87 not out, and the Mendis brothers added an unbroken 98 for the third wicket off 55 balls. Sri Lanka's required rate never looked scary.
Shanaka's squeeze set it up
The win was set up with the ball after Sri Lanka chose to bowl. Sahibzada Farhan carried Pakistan with 76 off 47, and Arafat Minhas's unbeaten 34 off 20 gave the total late lift, but Dasun Shanaka's 3 for 21 in four overs kept Pakistan to 168 for 8. Eshan Malinga and Nuwan Thushara took two apiece. Afterwards Kusal said Sri Lanka had positives in the first two games too, and this time the middle overs with the ball plus all three departments with the bat and in the field came together.
Farhan's consolation of his own
For Pakistan, Sahibzada Farhan still walked off with the Player of the Series award after 238 runs in the series. He admitted Pakistan at one stage felt they would only get to 140, and credited Minhas's hitting for lifting them to 168. His series is done, Pakistan's series is won, but on the night Rawalpindi belonged to the visitors.
The story comes from ESPNcricinfo's match report, with scorecard and post-match quotes verified against Cricbuzz. Read the full piece on ESPNcricinfo. ESPNcricinfo.
Second source: Cricbuzz's live scorecard for the 3rd T20I at Rawalpindi. Cricbuzz.
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