Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chamika Karunaratne steer Sri Lanka to 2-0 series win
Oman had put up 159 for 8 on the back of Aqib Ilyas' 38-ball 59
ESPNcricinfo staff
10-Oct-2021
File pic: Bhanuka Rajapaksa hit two sixes for his 21-ball 35 • AFP/Getty Images
Sri Lanka 163 for 5 (Rajapaksa 35*, Karunaratne 35*, Nadeem 2-22) beat Oman 159 for 8 (Ilyas 59, Kumara 2-20, Karunaratne 2-39) by five wickets
An unbroken 74-run partnership between Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Chamika Karunaratne helped Sri Lanka recover from a precarious position and complete a five-wicket win against Oman in Al Amerat. With the victory, Sri Lanka also sealed the two-match T20 series 2-0.
Chasing 160, Sri Lanka seemed to be cruising at 87 for 2 by the 10th over thanks to Avishka Fernando's 18-ball 33, but Oman clawed their way back into the game with three wickets in the space of eight deliveries. Fast bowler Mohammad Nadeem's double-strike left the visitors reeling at 89 for 5, but Rajapaksa and Karunaratne stabilised the innings, their sixth-wicket stand eventually seeing the team home with 15 deliveries to spare. Rajapaksa slammed two sixes during his 21-ball 35, while Chamika Karunaratne carted three sixes in his 26-ball 35.
Earlier, Oman, asked to bat, had put up 159 for 8 on the back of a half-century from No. 3 Aqib Ilyas. He stroked three fours and four sixes for his 38-ball 59, and shared a 59-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Ayaan Khan, taking the team to a promising 134 for 3. However, Ilyas' dismissal in the 17th over triggered a slide, as Oman slumped from 134 for 3 to 142 for 7.
Lahiru Kumara was the pick of Sri Lanka's bowlers, finishing with figures of 4-1-20-2, while Karunaratne also chipped in with two wickets, including the key scalp of Ilyas.
