ICC Twenty20 World Cup: Rathnayake, Shanaka, Mendis fifties power Sri Lanka to imposing total against Oman
The Hindu
ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2026: Sri Lanka vs Oman in Pallekele on February 12, 2026
Pavan Rathnayake and skipper Dasun Shanaka returned to form with blazing fifties, while Kusal Mendis anchored the innings with another half-century as Sri Lanka piled up a formidable 225 for 5 against Oman in their Group B T20 World Cup clash in Pallekele on Thursday (February 12, 2026).
After a poor World Cup debut against Ireland where he fell for sloppy upper cut for 5, Rathnayake made amends in style, smashing a 28-ball 60 (8x4, 1x6).
He brought up his maiden T20I fifty in just 24 balls, overtaking his previous best of 40 at this venue earlier this month.
The 23-year-old charged pacer Jiten Ramanandi for the innings' first six in the 12th over and hammered Sufyan Mehmood for three successive fours to reach the milestone.
Rathnayake and the experienced Mendis added 94 runs off just 52 balls, maintaining a run-rate in excess of nine through the middle overs.
They rotated strike smartly as 40 of Sri Lanka's 96 runs at the halfway mark came in singles and twos.
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