Kusal Perera makes history as Sri Lanka beats New Zealand

NELSON: Wicket-keeper batter Kusal Perera led the Lions to victory over New Zealand after he recorded Sri Lanka’s first T20I century since Tillakaratne Dilshan scored a 104 against Zimbabwe in 2011.

In just 46 balls, Perera scored 101 runs, hitting an incredible 14 fours and four sixes in the process. The Sri Lankan got going in the fifth over, hitting his first four on a delivery from Kiwi skipper Mitchell Santner. Perera would then have a little scare in the seventh over. After sending a delivery from Michael Bracewell to the boundary with a reverse sweep, Perera was nearly caught out on the next ball. An attempted sweep gone awry resulted in the ball launching off the top edge of Perera’s bat. However, the man at short fine leg couldn’t hold on to it and the ball deflected off him for four.

Perera kept up the pressure, hitting a stunning six over deep square leg off a delivery from Glenn Phillips in the 13th over, before bringing up a half century in the next over with a strike rate of 185.2.

The boundaries from the Lions wicket-keeper continued to pile-up. The Kiwis would squander a chance to end Perera’s innings prematurely in the 15th, as Jacob Duffy dropped another catch. A reverse sweep from Perera sent the ball to short third, but Duffy would fumble the chance and Sri Lanka would get another four.

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Perera would kick it into another gear in the 18th over, hitting three sixes. The first would solidify the outing as his career best performance. The second would put him within reach of his maiden century. And the third would make history.

After a standing ovation, Perera would be dismissed in the penultimate over on a delivery from Daryll Mitchell that the Sri Lankan hit high in the air, before it was caught by Ravindra at point.

Sri Lanka would end their innings with a score of 218. The Kiwi’s got close, but ultimately fell seven runs short. It was a consolation win for the Lions, as they already lost the series after the Kiwis took the first two games. However, it was still a historic moment for Sri Lanka, as they broke their 13-year T20I ton drought. Perera is now the third Sri Lankan to have made a century in T20Is, joining Mahela Jayawardene and the aforementioned Dilshan.

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