Dasun Shanaka hammers fastest T20 World Cup fifty for SL
What's the story
Dasun Shanaka led Sri Lanka from the front as they racked up 225/5 against Oman in the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup encounter at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. He smashed a 20-ball 50, recording the fastest-ever half-century for the Lankans in T20 World Cup history. He already has the fastest T20I fifty for Sri Lanka. Here are the key stats.
Knock
Shanaka's blistering knock in Pallekele
Despite starting well, SL were down to 42/2 in the Powerplay. However, Kusal Mendis and Pavan Rathnayake added 94 runs to steady the ship. While Rathnayake fell after playing a counter-attacking knock, Shanaka took center stage. The Lankan skipper smashed Jiten Ramanandi, Nadeem Khan, and Sufyan Mehmood to complete his 19-ball half-century. Ramanandi finally removed Shanaka, who smashed 2 fours and 5 sixes.
Milestone
Shanaka attains these feats
As mentioned, Shanaka's 19-ball half-century is the fastest for Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup. The previous quickest was by Mahela Jayawardene (21 balls vs Kenya in 2007). Shanaka also has the fastest T20I fifty for Sri Lanka. He topped this list before the match as well, having smashed a 20-ball half-century against India in 2023 (Pune).
Stats
A look at his stats
In 126 T20Is, Shanaka has raced to 1,797 runs at an average of 19.96. His tally includes a strike rate of 126.37. The Lankan all-rounder now has seven half-centuries in the format. Notably, Shanaka is one of only five players to have slammed 1,500 T20I runs for Sri Lanka. Shanka is also closing in on 6,000 runs in T20 cricket (currently at 5,949).