Top 5 innings by Tillakaratne Dilshan in Twenty20 Internationals

Dilshan

Sri Lankan veteran Tillakaratne Dilshan has decided to call it a day from International cricket. The flamboyant right-hander will retire from One Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals after the series against Australia. Dilshan has been a legend for the island nation by all means, and this retirement will leave a definite void in the ranks. This decision to step aside comes in the wake of the selectors deciding to build a team for the 2019 World Cup. However, the right-hander has featured in many match-winning knocks for Sri Lanka over the years, and his dashing knocks at the top of the order have set the base for many memorable performances. Here in this list, we take a look at top 5 innings played by the former Sri Lankan captain over the years.

#5 74 vs South Africa, 2013

The right-hander provided the early impetus to the innings and helped his side finally find form in the T20 series against South Africa. Tillakaratne Dilshan's unbeaten 51-ball 74, propelled the home side to 164 runs in their 20 overs. He was supported well by Mahela Jayawardene and Thisara Perera. Dilshan opened up when he smacked Lonwabo Tsotsobe for 14 runs in one over, and then there was no stopping the dasher, as he smashed 2 sixes and 9 fours in his innings and saw Sri Lanka home by 6 wickets. Sri Lanka chased down the target of 164 runs in 18.1 overs and eked out a consolation win in the series.

#4 76 vs New Zealand, 2012

Tillekaratne Dilshan

In a real cliff hanger of a match during the 2012 World T20, Dilshan took centre stage once again as he scored a memorable 53-ball 76 to drag Sri Lanka close to the New Zealand score of 174 runs. However, he was dismissed at a very critical moment when the score was 161. The rest of the batting stalled, and at the end of 40 overs, the scores were even stevens. He was not done with the bat, as he pulled out a smart catch during the super over to hand Sri Lanka a tense win in the end. A day to savour for Tillakaratne Dilshan.

#3 83 vs Afghanistan, 2016

Tillekaratne Dilshan

Afghanistan were scripting a memorable journey during the 2016 World T20 and they made Sri Lanka dig deep to earn a victory. It all boiled down to a composed a 56-ball 83 from Tillakaratne Dilshan as he helped Sri Lanka close the match by 6 wickets, but not before Afghanistan had given them a real scare. Chasing a formidable target of 154 Sri Lanka were in a spot of bother when they lost Chamara Kapugedara at 113 in 15.1 overs. Dilshan, however, continued to bat on and calmly forged another partnership with Angelo Mathews to win the game in the end. They were helped by some sloppy fielding by Afghanistan, but Dilshan had the game covered.

#2 96 vs West Indies, 2009

Tillekaratne Dilshan

The big players stand up to be counted on the big day, and Dilshan is certainly one of them. During the semi-finals of the 2009 World T20 against the West Indies, Dilshan played one significant innings for his team when he smashed a belligerent 96 and helped Sri Lanka put up a formidable score of 158 runs. Angelo Mathews then sucked all the momentum out of the chase with 3 in the opening over. This was a remarkable tournament for Dilshan and he capped it off with one of the best innings of the competition, in which he smoked 12 fours and 2 sixes and was unbeaten right through.

#1 104 vs Australia, 2011

Tillekeratne Dilshan

Captain Dilshan was on in full flight at the Pallekele International Stadium when he complied a stunning century against Australia. Dilshan smashed 104 runs in 57 balls, an innings which included 12 fours and 5 sixes. The right-hander took a special liking to Brett Lee as he first top-edged a hook for a six and then went on to reap 14 runs from the over. He opened his shoulders towards the back end of the innings and along with Jeevan Mendis plundered 67 runs from overs 15-18. The captain returned to manage his troops during the chase and the score proved too much for the Australians as they were restricted to 163 in their 20 overs.

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Edited by Staff Editor