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Kusal Mendis slams his third half-century in T20 World Cup
08 Feb 2026

Sri Lanka racked up 163/6 against Ireland in Match 6 of the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.

The co-hosts were powered by a 56-run knock from Kusal Mendis, who returned unbeaten. Mendis anchored SL's innings as they struggled to find boundaries in the middle overs.

Notably, Mendis recorded his third half-century in T20 World Cup history.

SL falter on sluggish pitch
Innings

SL, who were invited to bat, saw a 28-run opening stand between Kamil Mishara and Pathum Nissanka.

Mendis came in after Mark Adair dismissed Mishara in the fourth over.

Although Mendis and Nissanka added 34 runs, SL were down to 86/4 in the 14th over. They found no boundaries in Overs 7-15.

However, Kamindu Mendis's 19-ball 44 bolstered SL on the sluggish pitch.

Half-century in final over
Fact

Kusal Mendis brought up his half-century on the first ball of the final over. He took 39 balls for the same. Mendis returned unbeaten on 56 off 33 balls (5 fours).

A look at his career numbers
Career

According to ESPNcricinfo, Mendis raced to his 18th half-century in T20I cricket. It was his third in the T20 World Cup.

In 101 T20Is, Mendis now has 2,81 runs at an average of 26.11. His strike rate in the format reads 131.06.

The Lankan batter has racked up 354 runs from 12 T20 World Cup matches at a strike rate of 133.08.