SL vs AUS: Dasun Shanaka stuns Australia to hand Sri Lanka consolation win

Sri Lanka`s captain Dasun Shanaka celebrates with teammate Chamika Karunaratne after winning the third Twenty20 between Sri Lanka and Australia. Pic/AFP

The T20I series between Sri Lanka and Australia culminated in breathtaking fashion with the hosts chasing down a 176 run target set by Australia with just 1 ball to spare.

Sri Lanka looked down-and-out of the contest when they lost their 6th wicket at 108 runs halfway through the 15th over. At the time, they still needed 69 from 26 balls with skipper Dasun Shanaka the only recognized batsman at the crease.

However, Shanaka decided to take matters into his own hands and launched a stupendous assault on the Australian pacers. Along with a handy contribution from Chamika Karunaratne, the duo plundered 59 runs from the last 3 overs to seal the chase, and bring joy to the hearts of fans all around the island nation.

The victory was, nevertheless, only a consolation. The series was wrapped up by Australia who won the first two games.

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Earlier in the game, it was Australia who had to overcome a middle-overs hurdle when they slid to 85/4 after a solid start by openers Aaron Finch and David Warner who scored 29 and 39 respectively.

On a slow pallekele wicket that offered some purchase for the spinners, Steve Smith and Marcus Stoinis negotiated the tricky middle-over phase well. They subsequently managed to slip out of third gear and accelerate towards the end, along with Matthew wade who joined Smith at the crease following Stoinis' dismissal.

The target seemed a safe bet for the Australians considering Sri Lanka's batting troubles. The hosts had failed to get past a score of 130 in the two previous T20Is.

And the visitors' thoughts would have been vindicated when Sri Lanka's batting stumbled after the top order had all got starts but failed to make a significant score. That was until Shanaka decided to rewrite the script with his 25 ball 54'.

Brief Scores: Australia 176/5 (David Warner 39, Marcus Stoinis 38, Steve Smith 37'; Maheesh Theekshana 2/25, Wanindu Hasaranga 1/33) lost to Sri Lanka 177/6 (Dasun Shanaka 54', Pathum Nissanka 27; Marcus Stoinis 2/8, Josh Hazlewood 2/25) by 4 wickets