Twitter Reactions: Kusal Perera’s brilliant ton seals Sri Lanka’s win in thrilling T20I final against New Zealand
In a thrilling conclusion to the T20I series at Saxton Oval, Nelson, Sri Lanka emerged victorious against New Zealand by a narrow margin of seven runs. After losing the toss and being put into bat, the Sri Lankan team showed their batting prowess, with Kusal Perera leading the attack with a spectacular century. This match, held on January 2, 2025, was not only a contest of skills, but also a testament to resilience and determination on both sides.
Sri Lanka’s explosive innings
Sri Lanka took advantage of a pitch that offered good batting conditions. The innings started with a few hiccups as they lost early wickets including Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis. However, Perera’s explosive performance turned the tide for Sri Lanka. He scored an incredible 101 runs off just 46 deliveries, hitting 13 fours and 4 sixes, leading Sri Lanka to an incredible total 218/5 in their allotted 20 overs.
Kusal Perera breaks a historic century
Perera’s outstanding performance led Sri Lanka to a competitive total but also etched her name in the record books. Scoring his first T20I century, Perera became the third Sri Lankan to achieve this milestone in T20 Internationals, joining the ranks of legends like Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene.
Perera’s century was historic for several reasons. First, it marked the first T20I century for Sri Lanka in over 14 years, marking a significant achievement for both him and the team. He reached his hundred in just 44 balls, making him the fastest T20I century from Sri Lanka. This performance not only reaffirmed his status as one of Sri Lanka’s best batsmen, but also highlighted his ability to perform under pressure, especially after his team lost their first two wickets. Perera was also named man of the match.
READ ALSO: Twitter Reactions: Mitchell Hay, Jacob Duffy fire New Zealand to series win over Sri Lanka in 2nd T20I
New Zealand chase: roller coaster ride
Chase the target 219 runsNew Zealand started their innings with promise but quickly found themselves under pressure as wickets fell at regular intervals. Tim Robinson provided a solid start with 37 runs, but he Rachin Ravindra who emerged as the backbone of the chase with his impressive knock of 69 runs off 39 balls. His innings included five boundaries and four sixes, keeping New Zealand in contention as they raced towards the target.
However, the chase faltered as the wickets continued to tumble. Daryl Mitchell tried to revive the innings with an explosive performance that included four consecutive sixes in one over Charith Asalankascoring 35 runs off just 17 balls. Despite these efforts, New Zealand fell short of the target, finishing at 211/7 after their 20 overs.
While Perera’s knock was crucial to Sri Lanka’s total, Asalanka’s bowling performance played a key role in sealing the win. He took three crucial wickets for 50 runs in his four overs, dismantling New Zealand’s middle order and putting them on the back foot during their chase. His ability to take wickets at critical moments brought the momentum back to Sri Lanka when it was most needed. The match ended with a victory for Sri Lanka 7 runsmarking a thrilling end to the T20I series in which they salvaged their pride after losing the first two matches.
Here’s how twitter reacted:
Kusal Janith Perera created history! 🤩
KJP creates history with a dazzling maiden T20I hundred! An experienced rising star on the big stage.🔥
❤️✨🇱🇰 pic.twitter.com/l0khcFjchm— ᴅᴀʀsʜᴀ ᴄʜᴀᴍɪᴋᴀ (@Im_Darsha) January 2, 2025
KUSAL PERERA BREAKS FIRST HUNDRED IN INTERNATIONAL CRICKET 2025. 🔥
– Kusal Perera played a magiferet innings of 101 off 46 balls, incl
Well played, Kusal Perera! His outstanding batting effort helped Sri Lanka avoid defeat. congratulations!#NZvSL pic.twitter.com/dtdG0OY54k
— Akaran.A (@Akaran_1) January 2, 2025
#Srilanka 🇱🇰 : 218/5 (20 ov)#New Zealand 🇳🇿 : 211/7 (20 ov)
Sri Lanka won by 7 runs, New Zealand won the 3 match series 2-1
Man of the match: Kusal Janith Perera (Sri Lanka)
Player of the Series: Jacob Duffy (New Zealand)
3rdT20I #NZvSL 🏏🏆️ pic.twitter.com/wDpnChlo1v— Ishara (@Ishara23032) January 2, 2025
What an exciting match. Sri Lanka outclassed New Zealand with a stunning 7-run win. Kusal Perera stole the show with an incredible 101 off just 46 balls a pure master class.#SLvsNZ #CricketTwitter
#KusalPerera— Mohamad Adnan Nazir (@ADN266) January 2, 2025
Sri Lanka won the KFC T20I final. Rachin Ravindra (69), Tim Robinson (37) and Daryl Mitchell (35) contribute to the close chase in Nelson. Override all results | https://t.co/UzJ3jpZKSC 📲 #NZvSL #CricketNation pic.twitter.com/6Qj7PyCUpb
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) January 2, 2025
First Men’s T20I Century 2025 👏
Kusal Perera brings up his first hundred in the format off just 44 balls pic.twitter.com/sgWfwftyLx
— Jaleel Ahmed (@JaleelA83574057) January 2, 2025
Kusal Janith Perera 🇱🇰 won 8 ‘Player of the Match’ awards
– Most by any Sri Lankan player in T20I history. 👏 #NZvSL pic.twitter.com/lLwB3VTRpn
— Thurunu Jayasiri (@ThurunuJ) January 2, 2025
Kusal Perera scored the first century in 2025.
I hope Rohit and Virat become the 2nd and 3rd to do so 😉 pic.twitter.com/GgSXQwWiQd— Dinda Academy (@academy_dinda) January 2, 2025
Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by 7 runs in 3rd T20I 👊🏏#Cricket #NZvSL #SriLankaCricket pic.twitter.com/ttMsjVKikc
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) January 2, 2025
Kusal Perera scored his maiden T20 century at the beautiful Saxton Oval cricket ground against New Zealand. ❤️ #NZvSL #SLvsNZ #KusalPerera pic.twitter.com/Aic495vZxB
— U$äMä (@usama_mewati948) January 2, 2025
READ ALSO: Twitter Reactions: Pathum Nissanka’s star knock goes in vain as Sri Lanka fail against New Zealand in 1st T20I
