The series may have been lost but Sri Lanka will be feeling a lot better about themselves following a comprehensive win in the third and final T20I. Kusal Mendis‘ 87 off 48 led the way in the chase, as Sri Lanka hunted down Pakistan‘s total of 168 for 8 with 17 balls and eight wickets to spare.

There was the customary fifty-plus score from Sahibzada Farhan but this time Sri Lanka’s bowlers ensured their plans were executed with more precision than had been for much of the tour. This was highlighted by the fact that aside from Farhan, only one other Pakistan batter scored more than 20 – Arafat Minhas with 34.

Dasun Shanaka was the unlikely hero with the ball, picking up figures of 3 for 21, while Vijayakanth Viyaskanth – in for Maheesh Theekshana – too was pivotal in halting the run-scoring during his four overs which went for just 23 and brought about one wicket. There were two wickets apiece too for Eshan Malinga and Nuwan Thushara.

Then with the chase, Lahiru Udara fell early – even though SL opted against a review that would have reprieved him – but after that Kusal put together stands of 59 and 98* with Sineth Jayawardena (38 off 26) and then Kamindu Mendis (40 off 27) to see the game to a close with quite some degree of comfort.

Farhan’s battle, but SL’s war

It was Farhan once more putting Sri Lanka’s bowlers to the sword as he pummelled seven fours and three sixes across his 76-run, 47-ball innings, but that Sri Lanka still managed to restrict Pakistan to under 170 highlights just how well the Sri Lankan bowlers executed their plans against the rest of the batting.

After yet another quick start from the openers Malinga’s outstanding opening over – the fourth of the inning and a double wicket maiden – brought Sri Lanka right into the contest, as both Fakhar Zaman and Maaz Sadaqat were removed trying to hit out.

This though did not slow down Farhan, as he and Hasan Nawaz struck five boundaries over the next two overs to end the powerplay on 57 for 2. This though was where Sri Lanka put on the squeeze, led by the excellent Viyaskanth.

The 24-year-old legspinner from Jaffna did his chances of more starts no harm at all with a brilliant spell of defensive bowling. On a wicket with good bounce and the ball coming on well, Viyaskanth kept his trajectories flat and speeds consistently between 90-100kph.

It meant runs were being blocked up from one end, a T20 currency that you could argue is more important than wickets. Benefitting from Viyaskanth’s control and defensive aptitude was Shanaka, who himself has been showing increasing bowling nouse as of late. Despite possessing pace in the mid 120s, Shanaka’s variations in pace and length proved frustrating for the Pakistani batters as they time and again failed to get him away for significant runs.

But at the other end Farhan was playing his own game as he proceeded to pretty much bat right through the innings, falling only off the penultimate ball of the innings. While Arafat’s runs were also vital, Farhan was no doubt the difference between Pakistan stumbling to a score below 140 and what they eventually managed.

Sineth’s mixed start

It’s been a roller coaster couple of months for 21-year-old Sineth Jayawardena. Following an exceptional breakout season in Sri Lanka’s premier domestic T20 tournament, where he struck 372 runs across nine innings to help Tamil Union to the title, he earned a call up to the national side for the Asian Games before making the national side proper for the tour of Pakistan.

But it hasn’t been his batting that initially caught the eye; his dropped catch off Farhan proved to be pivotal sliding doors moment in the second game, and in this game it was his over-exuberant throw to the keeper that meant Sri Lanka missed out on a crucial run-out chance of Arafat just as he had come to the crease. That Arafat proceeded to crack 34 off 20 from then on, was the proverbial salt in the wounds.

Jayawardena’s inexperience was then further highlighted when his opening partner Lahiru Udara was trapped lbw by a booming in swinger from Imran Randhawa, only for him to opt against a review presumably on the advice of his partner. Replays showed that the impact had been outside off. Was Jayawardena tentative in pushing for a review owing to his earlier lapses? Perhaps.

But the flip side of the unpolished nature of his game – rough edges that can be only sharpened with game time – was on full display with the bat. His 26-ball stay fetched five fours and two sixes, and while there were 13 dot balls, nearly all of those were in service of an attacking shot of some sort. It was a showcase of unbridled intent.

Gary Kirsten spoke before the game about the T20 side being in an “exploratory phase” ahead of the next World Cup still two years away. In that sense, in Jayawardena there seems to be a talent well worth exploring, rough edges and all.

Kusal finally finds form

Kusal has been key to several of Sri Lanka’s wins, and it’s no surprise that in the first two games, Kusal falling cheaply meant they struggled with the bat.Here though, after a subdued start where Kusal deferred to the rawer Jayawardena, he grew into his innings and by the end of the chase was striking at a rate above 180. Alongside him, Kamindu provided an ideal foil with his strike rotation – he faced just four dot deliveries across his 27-ball innings.

It would not be wrong for Sri Lanka to be worried about their over-reliance on their skipper, but in the absence of other star man Pathum Nissanka, the likes of Jayawardena and Kamindu stepping up are definitely promising signs for the future.