Kusal Mendis's Unbeaten 87 Ends Pakistan's Whitewash Bid as Sri Lanka Win 3rd T20I by 8 Wickets

Sri Lanka denied Pakistan a 3-0 whitewash on Tuesday night, cruising to an 8-wicket win in the third and final T20I at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium as captain Kusal Mendis's unbeaten 87 powered the visitors past a 169-run target with 17 balls to spare.

Put in to bat after Mendis won the toss and chose to field, Pakistan posted 168 for 8 in their 20 overs. Captain Sahibzada Farhan fought a lone hand with 76 off 47 balls, but no other batter crossed 35 and Sri Lanka's bowlers stayed disciplined, with Dasun Shanaka taking 3 for 21 and Eshan Malinga and Nuwan Thushara claiming two wickets each.

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The chase was rarely in doubt after the early loss of Lahiru Udara. Sineth Jayawardena made 38 off 26, then Kusal Mendis took charge, finishing 87 not out off 48 balls with nine fours and four sixes. He added an unbroken 98 off 55 balls with Kamindu Mendis, who made 40 not out off 27, as Sri Lanka sealed the win at 172 for 2 in 17.1 overs.

The result leaves Pakistan winners of the series 2-1 and hands Farhan his first T20I series victory as captain, but the hosts will rue a flat batting display on the night they had targeted a clean sweep.

Farhan's 76 goes in vain

Pakistan made four changes for the dead rubber, bringing in Razaullah, Arafat Minhas, Sufyan Moqim and Abdul Samad. The experiment misfired. Fakhar Zaman fell for 12 and Maaz Sadaqat, the star of the 2nd T20I, went for a three-ball duck as Pakistan slipped to 34 for 2 inside four overs.

Farhan held the innings together with seven fours and three sixes, but partners kept falling around him: Hasan Nawaz made 16, Khawaja Nafay 3, Mohammad Imran 6 and Abdul Samad 15. Arafat Minhas's unbeaten 34 off 20 gave the total some respectability before Farhan fell for 76 in the final over. The 168 total was below par on a true Rawalpindi surface.

Mendis brothers finish the job

Mohammad Imran removed Udara for 1 in the second over, but Jayawardena's 38 steadied Sri Lanka before Kusal Mendis produced the innings of the match. His 87 not out was the highest score on either side and the defining knock of the night.

Imran (1 for 31) and Minhas (1 for 26) were Pakistan's only wicket-takers on a difficult night for the home attack, with Salman Mirza and Razaullah going for 40 and 37 runs respectively without reward.

Series sealed, whitewash missed

The series still ends 2-1 in Pakistan's favour after the 4-wicket win in the opener and the 82-run demolition in the second game. It is a first series win for Farhan as full-time T20I captain, continuing Pakistan's strong home form in the format.

Both teams now turn to the ODI tri-series starting October 18, which also features England. Sri Lanka take confidence from Tuesday's win after two heavy defeats, while Pakistan's batting will get another look in the longer format.

Sources: ESPNcricinfo live scorecard https://www.cricinfo.com/series/sri-lanka-in-pakistan-2026-27-1550703/pakistan-vs-sri-lanka-3rd-t20i-1550710/live-cricket-score, KhelNow full result https://khelnow.com/live-cricket-score/pakistan-vs-sri-lanka-sri-lanka-tour-of-pakistan-13th-october-2026-40464, CricketAddictor scorecard https://cricketaddictor.com/livescore/pakistan-vs-sri-lanka-3rd-t20i-pak-vs-sl-2026/scorecard/.