Shanaka, who had reached 6 out of 12 at this stage, suddenly went into supernova mode. He scored two sixes and two fours from the 18th over, bowled by Josh Hazlewod, then helped loot 18 of the penultimate over, and 19 of the last, watching Sri Lanka impressively. They had lost the series, but had achieved an amazing victory in front of what became a euphoric crowd of Pallekele. “It was a great pleasure for me to be able to play such innings,” Shanaka said. “There are very few innings like this. “My plan was to hit three limits one over in the last three over. That would mean 54 runs [if all the boundaries were sixes]. With the singles we would get, there would be an opportunity. There was a chance that everything would go wrong, but I was able to do my best. “It was a great victory – not just for me, but for the whole country.” This victory was particularly significant for Sri Lanka, which is currently experiencing the deepest financial crisis since independence in 1948. Despite financial constraints, the T20Is saw full houses in both Khettarama (for the first two races), as well as in Pallekele. Attendance at the ODIs is also expected to be good, with the first match being played on Poson Poya Day – a Buddhist festival. “We know that people in Sri Lanka are under a lot of pressure,” Shanaka said. “They are not getting what they need. They still support us a lot. We are really grateful to them for that. We are preparing to deliver to ODI.” Although Shanaka achieved an almost miraculous victory in the third match, Sri Lanka’s shot was weak in the previous two games, at Khettarama. However, Sri Lanka won its two most recent series of ODIs, against South Africa and Zimbabwe, in which the blow to this figure was sufficient. “I do not think we have too many weaknesses,” Shanaka said. “If we take the last two series – against South Africa and against Zimbabwe – we played well. Our mental state is good. The strength of the blow will determine the series I think, because I’m sure our ballots will play well. The series . “
