[Watch] Sri Lankan batter has his arms aloft in celebration after notching up maiden T20I hundred in NZ vs SL 3rd T20I

Sri Lanka's Kusal Perera raised his arms in celebration after hitting his maiden T20I century in the final game of the three-match series against New Zealand. The game was played on Thursday, January 2, at Saxton Oval in Nelson.

Coming in at No. 3, Perera started steadily, scoring 36 runs off his first 20 balls. The southpaw reached his fifty off just 27 balls. He then went on to attack, hitting two consecutive sixes in the 18th over off Matt Henry, bringing up his maiden century off 44 balls. He made 101 off 46 balls, hitting 13 boundaries and four sixes.

Here’s the video of the moment:

The 34-year-old became only the third Sri Lankan to score a T20I century, joining Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan in the elite list.

Furthermore, Perera became the first Sri Lankan to reach 2,000 runs in T20I cricket. He has now accumulated 2,056 runs in 77 matches, including 15 fifties and one century.

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Kusal Perera's hundred helps Sri Lanka win the final game of the series

Asked to bat first, Sri Lanka lost their openers, Pathum Nissanka (14) and Kusal Mendis (22), early. Kusal Perera then came in at No. 3 and steadied the innings from one end, while Avishka Fernando contributed with 17 off 12 balls.

Perera and skipper Charith Asalanka put together a crucial 100-run partnership off 45 balls for the fourth wicket. Asalanka scored 46 off 24 balls, while Perera went on to score his maiden T20I century, finishing with 101 off 46 balls. The visitors ended their innings at 218/5 in their 20 overs.

In response, New Zealand’s opening duo of Tim Robinson (37) and Rachin Ravindra put on 81 runs off 45 balls for the first wicket. Ravindra played brilliantly, scoring 69 off 39 balls.

However, the middle-order batters struggled to build on the start, as Mark Chapman (9), Glenn Phillips (6), Mitchell Hay (8), and Michael Bracewell (1) were dismissed cheaply.

Daryl Mitchell scored 35 off 17 balls, but the Black Caps fell short by seven runs. Although the hosts lost the final game, they secured the series 2-1.