RAWALPINDI: Kusal Mendis knocked a solid half century and medium pacer Dasun Shanaka grabbed three wickets as Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by eight wickets in the third and final Twenty20 international on Tuesday.
Skipper Mendis hit a 48-ball 87 with four sixes and nine boundaries as Sri Lanka chased down the 169-run target in 17.1 overs for a consolation win at Pindi Stadium.
Pakistan won the series 2-1 with four-wicket and 82-run wins in the first two encounters, also in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan, sent in to bat, were lifted to 168-8 by in-form skipper Sahibzada Farhan who scored a 47-ball 76 that included three sixes and seven boundaries.
Mendis credited disciplined bowling for the turnaround.
"We didn't bowl well in the first two games but today our bowling was disciplined and we kept them to a gettable total," said Mendis.
Farhan blamed lack of runs in the final match.
"We batted well in the first two games but this 168-run total was not enough so we have to analyse this for future games," said Farhan.
Sri Lanka started well with opener Sineth Jayawardena scoring a quickfire 26-ball 38 studded with five boundaries and two sixes.
From 74-2, Mendis and Kamindu Mendis did not let Pakistan get any more wickets, sharing an unbroken 98-run stand for the third wicket.
Kamindu struck four boundaries in his 27-ball 40 not out.
Earlier, Pakistan for the first time in the series found the going tough, losing opener Fakhar Zaman (12) and Maaz Sadaqat (nought) off successive deliveries with the score at 34.
Hasan Nawaz (16) and Abdul Samad (15) helped Farhan push the score but it was in the final five overs that Pakistan accelerated by adding 59.
The final flurry came through Arafat Minhas who helped Farhan add 66 for the seventh wicket to take the total to some respectability.
Minhas hit two boundaries and two sixes in his 20-ball 34 not out.
Besides Shanaka, Nuwan Thushara and Eshan Malinga also grabbed two wickets apiece. - AFP
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