Pallekele (Sri Lanka), Feb 12 (.) Pavan Rathnayake lit up the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium with a breathtaking maiden T20I half-century as Sri Lanka crushed Oman by 105 runs in the 16th Match, Group B of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 here on Thursday.
Rathnayake’s explosive 60 off just 28 balls, studded with eight fours and a six, turned the contest decisively in Sri Lanka’s favour after early wickets. Arriving at 42 for 2, he launched a stunning counter-attack, racing to his fifty with a thumping drive over the umpire’s head off Sufyan Mehmood — his landmark also becoming the second fastest half-century by a Sri Lankan in T20 World Cups.
He was severe on anything loose, flicking, cutting and lofting with authority. Three successive boundaries off Mehmood in the Powerplay signalled his intent, while a towering six over square leg off Jiten Ramanandi underlined his dominance. Rathnayake brought up Sri Lanka’s 100 with a crisp single before perishing for 60 (28) when Ramanandi deceived him with a slower delivery that crashed into leg stump.
Kusal Mendis played the sheet anchor with 61 off 45 balls, adding 94 runs with Rathnayake. He reached his 19th T20I fifty with a nudged brace to long-on, keeping the scoreboard ticking even as Rathnayake unleashed his strokeplay.
The final five overs turned into a spectacle of clean hitting, headlined by skipper Dasun Shanaka. Shanaka hammered a 19-ball fifty — the fastest by a Sri Lankan in T20Is — bringing up the milestone with a run down to deep square.
He tore into Nadeem Khan and Ramanandi, smashing successive sixes over long-on and backward point, while a full-toss was dispatched behind the sightscreen. Shanaka eventually fell for a blazing 50 (20), caught at wide long-off.
Drama followed in the 19th over when Kusal Mendis was run out for 61 after a mix-up with Kamindu Mendis, Ramanandi and wicketkeeper Vinayak Shukla combining to catch him short of his crease.
Kamindu Mendis then applied the finishing touches in emphatic fashion. He clubbed Ramanandi straight down the ground for four before, in the final over, carving Shah Faisal high over deep point for six and then swivelling on a short delivery to pull it deep into the grass banks at mid-wicket. Sri Lanka finished on a commanding 225 for 5.
For Oman, Ramanandi (2/41) was the most successful bowler, though the attack struggled to contain Sri Lanka’s late onslaught.
Chasing 226, Oman were rocked early as Dushmantha Chameera removed Jatinder Singh (1) and Hammad Mirza (9) in quick succession. Maheesh Theekshana tightened the screws with a superb 2 for 11 in four overs.
Mohammad Nadeem battled alone for an unbeaten 53 off 56 balls, while Wasim Ali struck three sixes in his 27, but wickets fell at regular intervals. Oman were restricted to 120 for 9 in 20 overs, handing Sri Lanka a comprehensive 105-run victory that significantly boosts their net run rate in Group B.
. . CDS