NZ v SL: Kusal Perera hits maiden T20I hundred, breaks 14-year-old Sri Lankan record

NZ v SL: Kusal Perera hits maiden T20I hundred, breaks 14-year-old Sri Lankan record

Kusal Perera smashed his maiden T20I hundred in the third match against New Zealand at the Saxton Oval in Nelson on Thursday, January 2.

Kusal Perera smashed maiden T20I ton against New Zealand. (Photo-Getty Images)

New Delhi: Kusal Perera smashed his maiden T20I hundred against New Zealand in the third and final T20I of the series at the Saxton Oval in Nelson on Thursday, January 2. This is the fastest T20I ton by any Sri Lankan batter in the T20 Internationals.

He reached to his maiden T20I hundred in 44 balls and played at a strike rate of 219.56. Perera smacked 13 boundaries and four maximums during his explosive knock. He also became the first Sri Lankan batter to hit a century in T20Is after 14 years. Overall, he became the third Sri Lankan batter to smash a hundred in the shortest format after Jayawardene (2010) and Dilshan (2011).

Kusal Perera etched his name in the history books and became the first-ever batter from Sri Lanka to score 2000 T20I runs. The left-handed batter has scored 2056 runs at a strike rate of 134.11 in 77 T20I matches. Kusal Mendis is the second-highest run-scorer for Sri Lanka on the list.

Kusal Perera welcomes the new year with his maiden T20 century! 💯👏

1️⃣0️⃣1️⃣ Runs

4️⃣6️⃣ Balls

1️⃣3️⃣ 4s

4️⃣ 6s

✅ 1st T20 century for Sri Lanka since August 2011.

✅ 2nd Sri Lankan batter to score a T20 century against NZ.

✅ 3rd Sri Lankan batter to score a T20 century.#NZvsSL pic.twitter.com/p722BmdwWD — ꜱᴘᴏʀᴛꜱ ꜱᴛᴀᴛꜱ ᴀɴᴀʟʏꜱᴛ 🇮🇳 (@_mkverma) January 2, 2025

Sri Lanka post big target for New Zealand in 3rd T20I

Sri Lanka scored 218 runs in the 20 overs against New Zealand in the third T20I. Matt Henry removed Pathum Nissanka on 14 runs in the third over while Mitchell Santner dismissed Kusal Mendis on 22 runs in the fifth over. After losing two wickets in the powerplay, Kusal Perera stitched a 41-run partnership with Avisha Fernando for the third wicket. After his dismissal, Perera forged another 100-run partnership with Asalanka and helped Sri Lanka to post a big target for the Kiwis. Santner and Co. leading the three-match series by 2-0.

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Prince Thakur Prince is currently with the sports team of News9 Digital. He is an avid football and cricket fan, and an adventurous traveler on a mission to experience the best of both sports and the world. Read More

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