Kusal Perera made 23 in the 136-run chase in the first T20I against New Zealand. He shattered a record of compatriot Tillakaratne Dilshan during his knock, which also helped Sri Lanka beat the Kiwis by 4 wickets.
India will look to seal the three-match T20 series against Sri Lanka 3-0 as they take on the hosts in the finale on Tuesday, July 30 in Pallekele. Sri Lanka, especially their top-order batters, have fought hard but the middle-order collapses in the first T20Is haven't helped their cause.
Australia have two points to their credit after three games in the ongoing ODI World Cup and are placed eighth above Sri Lanka and the Netherlands. They will take on Pakistan in their upcoming fixture at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 20.
Australia are desperate to get a win under their belt as they are languishing at the bottom of the points table with a net run rate of -1.846. They lost their opening fixture against the Men in Blue at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Perera tested positive in a RT-PCR test carried out on the players before the commencement of training for the upcoming series against South Africa in Colombo.
Perera was the captain of the Sri Lankan team in England but since the central contract dispute between players and the cricket board, Dasun Shanaka has been appointed captain at his expense.
The players have rejected the proposed pay structure, which sees the seniors in particular take big pay cuts.
Perera said he wants to build a culture in which players have confidence.
Sri Lanka will host England in a two-match Test series, starting on March 19.
The Sri Lanka cricket team is going through a transition phase, struggling to replace stalwarts such as Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.
Test cricket continues to be the premier stage of the sport despite mushrooming of cash-rich T20 leagues around the world.
Chasing an unlikely 304, Sri Lanka was 226-9 and looked out of it at Kingsmead with the 10th wicket an apparent formality.
Perera almost single-handedly won the game but No. 11 batsman Vishwa Fernando played a crucial role as he hung around for 27 balls for his 6 not out to allow Perera, with nothing to lose.
Kusal Perera's unbeaten 158 took Sri Lanka to a stunning 1-wicket victory against South Africa as he put up a 78-run partnership for the last wicket to seal a sensational win in Durban.
Starc claimed his 10th five-wicket haul in tests by taking the final two Sri Lanka wickets in his first over after lunch.
Perera was to undergo a mandatory concussion test after he was unable to continue batting at Canberra's Manuka Oval.
In Perera's absence, Danushka Gunathilaka was called in to open the batting for Sri Lanka in their second innings.
Sri Lanka captain Suranga Lakmal and Lahiru Kumara took three wickets each as the Windies squandered their opportunity to bat the tourists out of the game.
Perera's brilliant 66 off 37 balls and some crucial contributions from the middle-order helped Sri Lanka beat India.
In the absence of senior bowlers, the Indian attack looked pedestrian as Sri Lanka chased down a stiff 175-run target with nine balls to spare, as Kusal played a match-winning knock of 66 runs off just 37 balls.
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