Pathum Nissanka Archives

Nissanka 98* powers Sri Lanka to victory against Zimbabwe

RAWALPINDI: Pathum Nissanka’s sublime 98* from 58 propelled Sri Lanka to a resounding win over Zimbabwe and kept his side’s hopes alive of reaching the final of the T20I tri-series.

Set a partly 147, the Islanders hit the winning runs on the second ball of the 16th over, losing only one wicket in the process.

Kamil Mishara and Pathum Nissanka started briskly in pursuit of the chase, adding 59 in only 5.4 overs.

Nissanka remained the core aggressor while Mishara held one end and was dismissed after scoring 12 from 15 balls.

However, Nissanka continued on and forged an unbeaten 89-run stand with 64 balls with Kusal Mendis, flattening Zimbabwe bowlers.

Pathum Nissanka returned to form with four sixes and 11 fours while Mendis played a run-a-ball 25-run knock with the help of a boundary.

For Zimbabwe, Brad Evans remained the solitary wicket-taker.

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Earlier, Sri Lanka spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana spun a web around Zimbabwe batters, restricting them to a modest total.

After opting to bat here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium under lights, Zimbabwe managed to put 146-5 on the board in their 20 overs.

Theekshana removed Tadiwanashe Marumani for four in the opening over and followed the wicket with another scalp in the third over to provide Sri Lanka a strong start.

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Dion Myers castled for six, brought experienced Brendan Taylor to the fore, who added 36 runs for the third wicket with Brian Bennett, which provided the Chevrons some relief.

Taylor made 14 from 12 before getting bowled by skipper Dasun Shanka, leaving Zimbabwe 53-3 in 7.3 overs. Despite Zimbabwe stitching brief stands, the Islanders kept tight and never allowed them to score freely.

Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl remained the notable contributors with the bat for Zimbabwe, both scoring 37 runs respectively with the aid of five fours and a maximum.

For Sri Lanka, Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana bowled clinical spells and picked up two wickets in their quota of four overs.

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Pathum Nissanka ton puts Sri Lanka on top in second Bangladesh Test

In-form opener Pathum Nissanka scored an unbeaten 146 as Sri Lanka tightened their grip on the second Test against Bangladesh on day two in Colombo on Thursday.

The hosts were 290-2 at stumps, a lead of 43 on the back of Nissanka’s sparkling innings off 238 balls.

It follows his career-best score of 187 in the first Test in Galle, which ended in a draw.

Nissanka found an able partner in former skipper Dinesh Chandimal, who scored a fluent 93 before a lapse in judgement saw him lose his wicket minutes before stumps. The two put on 194 runs together.

“We are in a very good position, tomorrow we have to bat the whole day. We will try to get a lead of 150 to 200,” said wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis.

“Shame he missed out on a double hundred in Galle. I hope he does it here,” he said of Pathum Nissanka.

Frustrated by their inability to break through, Bangladesh resorted to negative lines and spread fields but Chandimal and Nissanka answered with a flurry of reverse sweeps.

Nissanka’s opening partner Lahiru Udara was undone for 40 by a Taijul Islam delivery that held its line.

Originally given not out, the decision was overturned after a review.

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Earlier, debutant Sonal Dinusha took 3-22 as Sri Lanka bowled out the visitors for 247.

Bangladesh resumed the day on 220-8 and lasted 8.3 overs with overnight batter Taijul the last man out for 33, caught off Dinusha’s left-arm spin.

All-rounder Dinusha, who came in for the retired Angelo Mathews, had made an instant impact by dismissing Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton Das on the opening day.

Fast bowler Asitha Fernando also finished with three wickets after he struck the first blow on Thursday.

Taijul offered some resistance and survived a reprieve on 20 when Kamindu Mendis shelled a tough chance at wide mid-off, denying Fernando his fourth wicket.

The left-hander frustrated the hosts with a gutsy knock during which he copped a few blows to the helmet. Bangladesh eked out 33 runs for the last two wickets.

Play began 15 minutes early to compensate for overs lost to rain on day one when only 71 of the scheduled 90 overs were possible. T

The winner at Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club ground will clinch the series after last week’s draw.

“Sri Lanka are ahead in the game at the moment, but we know the new ball is due,” said Bangladesh coach Phil Simmons.

“We will try to make an impact with the new ball. We know things can happen quickly if we are able to get a couple of wickets with the new ball.”

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Nissanka’s career-best 187 leads Sri Lanka’s fightback in first Bangladesh Test

Pathum Nissanka career-best 187 helped Sri Lanka finish the third day of the first Test against Bangladesh in a strong position, trailing with only 127 runs off Bangladesh’s first innings score.

The 27-year-old opener anchored the Sri Lanka innings before they finished on 368-4 at the close of play, behind Bangladesh’s 495.

He struck several key partnerships before he was bowled by Hasan Mahmud towards the end of the day’s play.

Pathum Nissanka, who had been under pressure before the match with only one half-century in nine innings, hit 23 fours and a six in his marathon 256-ball innings.

Nissanka looked set for his maiden double-ton when he was bowled by Mahmud, who was bowling with the second new ball.

“This is my first Test hundred at home so I was very happy to get there,” Nissanka said after the day’s play.

“It is important that we get a decent lead and put them under pressure.”

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But Sri Lanka’s top-scorer said he was “disappointed” with the way he got out.

He acknowledged he had failed to score big since his century in England last year and said that he was “trying to make the most of today”.

Kamindu Mendis (37) and skipper Dhananjaya de Silva (17) will take charge of Sri Lanka’s first innings on the fourth day, with the Galle wicket still playing well for the batters.

Besides Mahmud, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan and Mominul Haque finished the third day with one wicket each in a largely uneventful session for Bangladesh’s bowlers.

Nissanka lost his opening partner Lahiru Udara (29) early in the day to the slow left-arm orthodox bowling of Islam.

Dinesh Chandimal came in and took a solid 54 runs before he was removed by Hasan after an important 157-run partnership with Nissanka.

Veteran Angelo Matthews walked out to bat in his farewell Test with a guard of honour from the opposition. Angelo Matthews hit 39 runs in a key cameo that took the hosts to 293 before he fell to Haque.

Earlier, the third day started with Sri Lanka wrapping up Bangladesh’s innings in just three overs after their overnight score of 484-9.

Bangladesh’s last man Nahid Rana feathered a short ball to wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis as fast bowler Asitha Fernando completed a return of 4-86 from his 29.4 overs.

The visitors had been cruising at 458-4 on Wednesday before losing five wickets for 26 runs in the final hour of the rain-hit second day.

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Nissanka hits ton as Sri Lanka stun England in third Test

LONDON: Pathum Nissanka scored an unbeaten century in the run chase and powered Sri Lanka to a resounding eight-wicket victory over England in the third Test of the three-match series here at The Oval on Monday.

The victory marked Sri Lanka’s fourth against England in the latter’s backyard since their infamous win at Headingley in 2014.

But England took the three-match series 2-1, having won the Old Trafford Test by five wickets and Lord’s Test by 190 runs.

Sri Lanka, set to chase 219, resumed their second innings at 94/1 with Pathum Nissanka (53*) and Kusal Mendis (30*) going strong.

England made an early inroad with an important scalp of Mendis, who could score just nine to his overnight score and returned after scoring 39 off 37 deliveries.

Meanwhile, Nissanka remained unfazed by the dismissal and kept dominating the English bowlers. He put together an unbeaten 111-run partnership with veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews (32*) to steer his side to glory before Lunch on the penultimate day of the third Test.

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He remained the top-scorer for Sri Lanka with an unbeaten 127 off just 124 deliveries, smashing 13 fours and two sixes amid his magnificent knock.

“It was a great opportunity to play in England and I enjoyed that innings,” said Nissanka.

“I just wanted to play my normal game and I have done that,” added the opener, who spent two years out of the Test side.

Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva termed his side’s long-awaited victory over England as one of the happiest moments of his career.

“This is one of the happiest moments in my career and my life,” said De Silva.

“We had a tough time in the last two weeks so to come here and get a win in English conditions against an English team, it is a very good moment for me, my team, and my country as well.”

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Chandimal wreaks havoc as Falcons crush Kings in LPL run-fest

DAMBULLA: Dinesh Chandimal’s swashbuckling half-century eclipsed Pathum Nissanka’s century and powered Kandy Falcons to a seven-wicket victory over Jaffna Kings in the 11th match of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024.

The Falcons had a mountain to climb as they needed to chase down a stiff total of 225 in the allotted 20 overs.

The defending champions, in the end, did so with relative ease as they only lost three wickets and amassed the total with 10 balls to spare.

Senior opening batter Dinesh Chandimal was the hero for the Falcons as he came out all guns blazing and set platform with belligerent hitting.

He smashed eight fours and seven sixes on his way to a 37-ball 89 before making his way back to the dugout in the 14th over with 164 runs on the board.

Chandimal was briefly supported by Andre Fletcher (13) and Mohammad Haris (25) amid his match-defining knock.

Following his dismissal, Kamindu Mendis took the reigns of the Falcons’ run-chase and scored a match-winning half-century.

Mendis played a pivotal role in the Falcons’ success with an unbeaten 65 off 36 balls, peppered with five fours and four sixes.

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Veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews played a helping hand with his quickfire cameo. He scored a 13-ball 29, hitting two fours and as many sixes.

Tabraiz Shamsi bagged two wickets for the Kings while Pramod Madushan claimed one.

Earlier after being put into bat first, the Kings notched up a mammoth total of 223/7 on the board, courtesy of Pathum Nissanka’s ton.

The young opener went after the Falcons’ bowlers from the word go and carried on till his departure in the 18th over.

Nissanka top-scored for the Kings with 119 off just 59 deliveries with the help of 16 fours and four sixes.

Wicketkeeper batter Kusal Mendis (26) and Rilee Rossouw (41 off 18) supported Nissanka with notable contributions.

Dasun Shanaka was the pick of the bowlers for the Falcons with 3/40 in his four overs, followed by Ramesh Mendis and Dushmantha Chameera, picking up two each.

The seven-wicket victory took Kandy Falcons to the fourth in the LPL 2024 standings with four points in five matches while Jaffna Kings remained second with six points in as many matches.

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Nissanka hits ton as Sri Lanka ease past Bangladesh in second ODI

CHITTAGONG: Pathum Nissanka’s sensational century, paired up with Charith Asalanka’s 91 propelled Sri Lanka to a comfortable three-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the second ODI of the three-match series here on Friday.

Put into bat first, Bangladesh registered a formidable total of 286/7 on the board, courtesy of Soumya Sarkar and Towhid Hridoy’s half-centuries.

The home side had a contrasting start to their innings as they lost wicketkeeper batter Litton Das (0) on just the third delivery.

But skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto soon settled things down by stitching an anchoring 75-run partnership with Sarkar before perishing in the 13th over.

Shanto scored a brisk 40 off 39 deliveries with the help of six boundaries.

Sarkar was then joined by Hridoy in the middle and the pair combined to add 55 runs for the third wicket before the former finally departed in the 22nd over.

Soumya Sarkar remained a notable run-getter for Bangladesh with a 66-ball 68 which featured a dozen boundaries including a six.

Hridoy took charge of Bangladesh’s batting charge and carried his bat all the way through to steer the hosts to a commendable total.

He top-scored for Bangladesh with an unbeaten 96 off 102 deliveries, laced up with three boundaries and five sixes.

Wanindu Hasarange led the bowling figures for Sri Lanka with 4/45 in his 10 overs, followed by Dilshan Madushanka, who bagged two.

Set to chase 287, Sri Lanka comfortably chased down the total for the loss of seven wickets and 17 balls to spare.

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The touring side, however, got off to a dismal start to the pursuit as they lost three wickets with just 41 runs on the board in 6.1 overs.

Following the early debacle, Charith Asalanka joined Pathum Nissanka in the middle and launched an astounding recovery.

The pair added 185 runs for the fourth wicket with Nissanka amassing his century in the process.

Bangladesh then attempted to force a late comeback as both set batters walked back in successive overs, bringing Sri Lanka down to 235/5 in 38 overs.

Nissanka remained the top-scorer for Sri Lanka with 114 off 113 deliveries, peppered with 13 boundaries and three sixes while Asalanka narrowly missed his well-deserved hundred, scoring 91 off 93 deliveries with the help of six boundaries and four sixes.

But Wanindu Hasaranga played a crucial cameo at the backend and put Sri Lanka in touching distance.

He scored 25 off 16 deliveries, hitting one boundary and two sixes.

Later, Dunith Wellalage displayed nerves of steel and steered Sri Lanka to victory with an unbeaten 16.

Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam bagged two wickets each for Bangladesh while Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Tanzim Hasan Sakib struck out a batter apiece.

The three-wicket victory meant Sri Lanka levelled the three-match series against Bangladesh. The two sides will square off in the final ODI on Monday.

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Nissanka-inspired Sri Lanka crush Afghanistan to celebrate series sweep

PALLEKELE: Pathum Nissanka’s century, paired up with Avishka Fernando’s blistering 91 powered Sri Lanka to humble Afghanistan in the third ODI to complete a 3-0 whitewash of the series.

Opting to bat first, Afghanistan registered a decent total of 266 on the board before bundling out in the penultimate over.

Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran gave their side a blazing start, racking up 39 runs in 4.3 overs.

The stand, however, shortlived as Avishka Fernando’s direct hit saw Zadran walking back after scoring 13 off 10 deliveries.

Gurbaz then put together an anchoring second-wicket partnership with Rahmat Shah. The duo added 47 runs before Akila Dananjaya castled the opener in the 18th over.

He fell two short of his half-century, scoring 48 off 57 deliveries, hitting six boundaries and a six.

The touring side then sustained another blow when their skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi fell in the 20th over after managing to score a mere five.

Meanwhile, Rahmat remained steadfast and stitched another vital partnership for Afghanistan when he added 58 runs for the fourth wicket with Azmatullah Omarzai before finally perishing in the 30th over.

Shah remained the top-scorer for Afghanistan with 65 off 77 balls with the help of seven boundaries and a six.

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Omarzai then took the reigns of Afghanistan’s batting charge and knitted a crucial partnership with Ibrahim Alikhil.

Their fifth-wicket partnership yielded 57 runs before both perished in quick succession.

Omarzai scored 54 off 59, laced with four boundaries while Alikhil made 32 in 38 deliveries.

Their back-to-back dismissal ignited a lower-order collapse and Afghanistan lost their remaining five wickets for just 29 runs to ultimately fold on 266.

Pramod Madushan led the bowling attack for Sri Lanka with 3/45, followed by Asitha Fernando, Dunith Wellalage and Dhananjaya, picking up two wickets each.

In return, Sri Lanka comfortably chased down the 267-run target for the loss of three wickets and 88 balls to spare, courtesy of an exquisite start, provided by their openers Nissanka and Fernando.

Avishka Fernando dominated the opening stand with a belligerent knock. He smashed 10 boundaries and five sixes on his way to a 66-ball 91.

But Fernando had an agonizing end to his sensational knock as he mistimed a drive straight to extra cover to fall just nine short of a fourth ODI ton.

Nissanka then joined forces with skipper Kusal Mendis, who made sure to keep the momentum intact with a brisk 40 off just 29 balls.

The pair added 68 runs for the second wicket before both perished in quick succession.

Nissanka top-scored for Sri Lanka with 118 off 101 deliveries, smashing 16 boundaries and two sixes.

Sri Lanka registered a comfortable 42-run win over Afghanistan in the first ODI, followed by a thumping 155-run win in the second.

The two teams will now square off in a three-match T20 series, starting in Dambulla on February 17.

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Theekshana ruled out, Nissanka joins Sri Lanka squad before second Test

GALLE: Right-arm spinner Maheesh Theekshana has been ruled out of the second Test after injuring his bowling hand in the first match against Pakistan, while Pathum Nissanka has rejoined the Sri Lankan squad upon completion of his recovery after testing Covid positive.

According to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), uncapped right-arm offspinner Lakshitha Manasinghe received his maiden Test call to replace Theekshana in the playing Xl on a spin-dominated Galle wicket.

Theekshana featured in two Tests for Sri Lanka and grabbed two wickets in the last match before suffering an injury in one of his fingers on the right hand during the first Test against Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Manasinghe picked up 73 wickets in his 17 first-class appearances and starred with the bowl as he grabbed 13 wickets during the unofficial match between Sri Lanka A and Australia A.

On the other hand, top-order batter Nissanka’s inclusion in the playing Xl is doubtful as his replacement in the team Oshada Fernando impressed with scores of 35 and 64 in the first Test.

It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan clinched a remarkable four-wicket win after a historic run-chase in the first Test against Sri Lanka to lead the series 1-0 with the final Test scheduled from July 24 to 28 at the same venue.

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Nissanka’s maiden ton aids Sri Lanka to seal a record chase over Australia

COLOMBO: Pathum Nissanka blasted with a maiden hundred empowering Sri Lanka to secure a record chase against Australia in the third ODI as the hosts took a 2-1 lead in the five-match ODI series, here on Sunday.

Set to chase a mammoth target of 292, Nissanka and Kusal Mendis braved the Australian bowlers on a tricky wicket as the pair built a brilliant partnership of 170 runs to put their side in a steering position.

While Mendis walked off the pitch when he was retired hurt in the 37th over on 87, Nassanka continued with his blistering knock and scored 137 off 147 balls, taking his side close to the finish line which they crossed with nine balls remaining and six wickets to spare.

Australia, on the other hand, opted to bat first after winning the toss and reached a competitive total of 291 thanks to the outstanding later knocks by Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, and Alex Carey before opener Aaron Finch strengthened the tourist’s inning with his steady knock of 62 off 85 balls.

Head and Carey showcased a magnificent combination during their 72-run partnership after Australia were forced into crisis by Sri Lankan bowlers at 121-4. Maxwell, however, smashed a powerful 33 off 18 balls to give a strong finish to the innings after Carey was dismissed one run short of his half-century by Dhananjaya de Silva. Head remained the top scorer for his side with 70 runs knock, laced with three fours and three sixes.

Jeffrey Vandersay starred with the bowl for his side claiming 3-49, dismissing Finch and Marnus Labuchagne to jitter the tourists’ middle order halfway through the first inning.

Sri Lanka now have a 2-1 lead in the series as they won two back-to-back games after facing a defeat in the opening match of the ODI series. The touring side has already clinched the three-match T20I series against the hosts.

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