Kusal Mendis made history as Sri Lanka claimed a consolation T20I victory over Pakistan, breezing to an eight-wicket win.

Having already won the first two games of the three-match series, Pakistan made four changes for this clash and had no answer to Mendis' unbeaten 87.

Tuesday marked a landmark moment, too, for Mendis. He became Sri Lanka's top run scorer in T20I history, surpassing Pathum Nissanka.

The Sri Lanka captain was ably supported by Kamindu Mendis, who finished 40 not out off just 27 deliveries as Sri Lanka eased home with 17 balls to spare.

It had not all seemed to be going Sri Lanka's way when losing Lahiru Udara for only one after the opener was trapped in front by Mohammad Imran to start their chase.

However, Sineth Jaywardena made a credible 26-ball 38, and Sri Lanka hardly looked back after their other opener was caught off the bowling of Arafat Minhas in the eighth over.

Dasun Shanaka had earlier impressed with the ball, tearing through Pakistan's middle order with an economical 3-21.

Arafat did offer some resistance, hammering an unbeaten 34, but 168-8 proved to be a subpar total on another flat Rawalpindi surface.

Pakistan captain Sahibzada Farhan stood out once again, smashing 76 off 47 deliveries, but his efforts were ultimately not enough to get his side to a competitive total.

An unbeaten, sensational 87 in Rawalpindi to anchor the chase and seal a brilliant 8-wicket win over Pakistan! #PAKvSL #KusalMendis https://t.co/b0PPhOCE0C

— Sri Lanka Cricket (@OfficialSLC) October 13, 2026

Rare Sri Lanka victory

Although Sri Lanka's wait for a first bilateral T20I series victory since September 2025 will continue, they at least claimed a rare win here.

This marked just their seventh triumph in the format since the start of the year, having lost 16 of their previous 23 such matches.

Kusal Mendis was central to their success, posting his highest T20I score of a career that has spanned 112 matches.

It was fitting, too, that his highest score came in the match he made history. He now has 2,791 runs in this limited-overs format, going past Nissanka's 2,784.

But there was also a new benchmark for Pakistan. Farhan and Arafat's 66-run partnership marked their record for a seventh-wicket stand in T20Is.

Both sides will hope to carry that impetus into Sunday's one-off ODI meeting at the same venue in Rawalpindi.