Sri Lanka cruises to 28-run victory over Bangladesh to win T20 series 2-1

Sri Lanka wins T20 series against Bangladesh with Mendis' brilliant 86 and Thushara's career-best 5-20 including a hat trick.

Opener Kusal Mendis hit a brilliant 86 and pacer Nuwan Thushara added a career-best 5-20 including a hat trick as Sri Lanka cruised to a 28-run victory over Bangladesh in the final T20 to win the series 2-1 on Saturday.

Sri Lanka won the first match by three runs but Bangladesh levelled with an eight-wicket victory.

Mendis’ 55-ball knock that included six fours and as many sixes single-handedly drove the side to 174-6 and then Thushara, playing his first game in the series, ripped through top-order in a swing bowling display.

“This is our last series before the World, so we take a lot of confidence from this,” Sri Lanka captain Wanindu Hasaranga said.

“It’s Thushara’s first game this series, he bowled really well," he added. "This is a good series win for us and just think our bowling attack was too good for them.”

Rishad Hossain hit seven sixes, the highest by a Bangladesh batter in this format in an innings, for his 30-ball 53 as Bangladesh recovered from 32-6 to be all out for 146 in 19.4 overs.

Thushara, the replacement of injured Matheesha Pathirana, took four wickets in his two overs including a hat trick to ruin Bangladesh’s hope to seal its first-ever T20 series victory against Sri Lanka.