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Dasun Shanaka Hits Record 98 Sixes, Overtakes Kusal Mendis in T20Is

Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka broke the national record for most sixes in T20 Internationals during a match against England. He hit two sixes in his 30-run innings to reach 98 career sixes, surpassing teammate Kusal Mendis's tally of 97. Despite Shanaka's effort, Sri Lanka collapsed to 95 all out while chasing England's total of 146. Will Jacks was awarded Player of the Match for his all-round performance as England secured a 51-run victory.

Key Points: Shanaka Breaks Sri Lanka T20I Sixes Record vs England

  • Shanaka sets new Sri Lanka sixes record
  • England wins by 51 runs
  • Will Jacks named Player of the Match
  • Sri Lanka bundled out for 95
2 min read

Dasun Shanaka overtakes Kusal Mendis to hit most sixes for Sri Lanka in T20Is

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka hits record 98 T20I sixes, overtaking Kusal Mendis, despite England's 51-run victory in the T20 World Cup.

Dasun Shanaka overtakes Kusal Mendis to hit most sixes for Sri Lanka in T20Is
"Shanaka hit a couple of sixes in his 30-run knock, which helped him overtake his teammate Mendis - Report"

Pallekele, February 22

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka broke the record of Kusal Mendis for hitting the most sixes in T20Is for Sri Lanka during their match against England in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 held in Pallekele on Sunday.

In their first fixture of the Super Eights, England defeated Sri Lanka by 51 runs. The Harry Brook-led side registered their 12th straight victory over Sri Lanka in T20I cricket.

Shanaka hit a couple of sixes in his 30-run knock, which helped him overtake his teammate Mendis in the list of most T20I sixes for his national side. Now, Shanaka has 98 sixes under his name in the shortest format. Mendis has hit 97 sixes so far in T20Is.

Asked to bat first, England made 146/9 in 20 overs with the help of Phil Salt's 62 off 40 balls, including six fours and a couple of sixes.

Will Jacks (21 off 14 balls), Brook (14 off seven balls) and Sam Curran (11 off 11 balls) also contributed well to the total.

For Sri Lanka, Dunith Wellalage was the top wicket-taker with three scalps. Maheesh Theekshana and Dilshan Madushanka took a couple of wickets each.

While chasing the challenging target, Sri Lanka lost their top-five wickets inside the powerplay.

Captain Dasun Shanaka (30 off 24 balls) tried his best to take his team past the line, but Adil Rashid dismissed him to dash the Lankan hopes.

Kamindu Mendis (13 off 11 balls) and Wellalage (10 off 10 balls) were the only batters for Sri Lanka to score in double digits.

The co-hosts were bundled out for 95 runs, losing the match by 51 runs as Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson and Rashid shared two wickets each among them, with Jacks taking a three-fer.

Will Jacks was named Player of the Match for his 'all-round' performance in the match.

241 runs were made during the match, which is the lowest match aggregate involving Sri Lanka and England in Men's T20 World Cups.

Now, Sri Lanka will clash with New Zealand in Colombo on Wednesday, whereas England will take on Pakistan on Tuesday at the same venue.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
Interesting stat, but the match itself sounds like a low-scoring affair. 241 total runs is very low for a T20, especially in a World Cup. England's bowling attack seems in great form.
P
Priya S
Shanaka is a true fighter! Leading from the front even when the top order collapsed. But Sri Lanka's batting is a big concern. Losing 5 wickets in the powerplay is unacceptable at this level. They need to fix this before the next match.
R
Rohit P
As an Indian fan, always enjoy watching SL vs ENG matches. But 12 straight losses for SL against England? That's a mental block now. Dunith Wellalage bowled well though, future looks bright for him.
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Aman W
Respectful criticism: The article focuses on a personal milestone, but the team's performance was poor. Captain should get credit for the record, but also needs to answer for the batting collapse. Team comes first, yaar.
K
Kavya N
Wow, just one six difference between Shanaka and Mendis! That's a close race. Makes their partnership even more interesting. Hope they both cross 100 soon. 🏏 Good luck for the next match, Lions!

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