PAK vs SL: Dasun Shanaka joins elite list featuring MS Dhoni

Sri Lanka T20I interim captain Dasun Shanaka has etched his name alongside MS Dhoni and former Australia skipper Michael Clarke in the elite list after the conclusion of the three-match T20I series against Pakistan. After beating the home side in all three matches, Shanaka became just the third skipper to win his first three T20Is as captain against Pakistan. With several key players deciding to not visit Pakistan, a second-string Sri Lanka team dominated the home side which is ranked No 1 team in T20Is.

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Shanaka joins the elite list

Shanaka was appointed as the interim skipper for the tour after T20I captain, Lasith Malinga, refused to travel to Pakistan. Dimuth Karunaratne, who is the skipper of the ODI side was also among ten cricketers who refused to pay a visit to the country.

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Pakistan were expected to dominate the series against a second-string side which missed some big names, but the home side was outclassed by the visitors in all three games. In the first T20I, Sri Lanka asked Pakistan to chase down 165. Nuwan Pradeep and Isuru Udana shared six wickets between themselves to bowl out Men in Green for 101 in 17.4 overs.

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In the second T20I, Pakistani again failed to play full 20 overs and were bowled out for 147 in 19 overs while chasing 182. The target seemed to be in sight for the home side but another batting failure saw them fall short by 13 runs while chasing a mere 148 in the third T20I.

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Pakistan head coach and chief selector, Misbah-ul-Haq, criticised the team for their poor performance and said that the series defeat was an eye-opener for everyone and also questioned the players. “This series has been an eye-opener for us and everyone else. These same players have been around for a while now. More or less the same team which made us number one and has been playing together for around three to four years now," Misbah was quoted as saying by PTI.