Asia Cup: Nissanka achieves most fifty-plus scores by Sri Lankan batter in T20Is
(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
Sri Lankan cricket star Pathum Nissanka is on fire in T20Is! The opener just smashed his way to a big milestone, grabbing the record for the most fifty-plus scores for Sri Lanka in the format. He overtook teammates Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera during the Asia Cup 2025 Group B clash against Hong Kong in Dubai.
Chasing a target of 150, Nissanka fired 68 runs off 44 balls, smashing six fours and two sixes at a sizzling strike rate of 154.55. This was his 17th half-century in T20Is – all fifties, no less – putting him ahead of Mendis’s 16 and Perera’s one century plus 15 fifties. Nissanka’s consistency has made him a key player in Sri Lanka’s T20I lineup.
He’s now Sri Lanka’s third-highest T20I run-scorer with 2,068 runs in 70 matches and 69 innings. His average stands at 31.33, with a strike rate of 124.22 and a best of 90 not out. Just a bit more, and he’ll top the charts over Perera (2,159 runs in 84 matches) and Mendis (2,090 in 86).
This year, Nissanka’s been unstoppable in T20Is, racking up 348 runs in nine innings at an average of 38.86 and a strike rate of 148.71. He’s notched three fifties, including this latest 68. In the Asia Cup 2025 so far, he’s the top scorer with 118 runs in two matches, averaging 59.00 at over 151 strike rate, plus two fifties.
The match itself was a thriller. Hong Kong batted first after Sri Lanka won the toss and posted 149/4 in 20 overs, thanks to Nizakat Khan’s unbeaten 52 off 38 balls (four fours, two sixes) and Anshuman Rath’s 48 off 46 (four boundaries). But Sri Lanka chased it down with seven balls to spare, despite a wobble from 119/2 to 127/6. Nissanka set the tone, and then Wanindu Hasaranga (20* off nine, with two fours and a six) along with Dasun Shanaka finished the job.
This victory puts Sri Lanka at the top of Group B with two wins from two games, booking their Super 4s spot. Hong Kong, meanwhile, is out after three straight losses. What a run for Nissanka and the Lankan Lions!
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