Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka smashed his first T20I century in the Asia Cup Super Four clash against India, but was unable to take his team over the line in Dubai. Sri Lanka levelled India’s score of 202/5 in 20 overs as Nissanka smashed 107 runs off 58 balls, laced with 7 fours and 6 sixes. However, India clinched the game in Super Over. In the 10th over of Sri Lanka’s chase, a rare incident took place as Nissanka hit a six but still no runs were added to the scoreboard.
Varun Chakarvarthy was about to release the ball, when the umpire gave it a dead ball. However, the bowler was unaware of the same and bowled the ball to Nissanka, who pulled the ball towards the long-on region.
Axar Patel, who was near the boundary, palmed the ball over the boundary for a six. However, no runs were added as the umpire had declared a dead ball before Chakarvarthy could release it.
Meanwhile, Nissanka dazzled at the crease while flexing his power-hitting nerve with immaculate timing against India’s brazen pace attack. He went all guns blazing from the get-go and blazed his way to a rollicking fifty, eclipsing Virat from the summit of the list for most 50-plus scores in the T20 Asia Cup.
Along with this, Nissanka dwarfed Virat’s fabled record of the highest run-getter in the history of the T20 Asia Cup. He leapfrogged to the top with 434 runs under his belt in 12 appearances, improving the former Indian skipper’s feat of 429.
In 12 innings, Nissanka has five fifty-plus scores in the T20 Asia Cup, bettering Virat’s tally of 4 in 9 innings. While firing all cylinders, the 27-year-old becomes the fourth Sri Lankan to score a century in each international format, joining Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera and Mahela Jayawardene.
He raised his bat to celebrate a magical ton in 51 deliveries, becoming just the third player to wallop a ton in the T20 Asia Cup, after Hong Kong’s Babar Hayat (122) and India’s Virat (122*)
(With ANI Inputs)