Sri Lanka secured their place in the Super Eights with a commanding chase against Australia, powered by a brilliant century from Pathum Nissanka in the T20 World Cup 2026.
The opening batter scored the first century of the tournament and helped Sri Lanka win with two overs to spare, leaving Australia close to elimination and hoping for a miracle.
Earlier, the 2021 T20 World Cup champions had appeared in control after a flying start, but a dramatic collapse saw them restricted to 181 despite reaching 104 without loss.
Australia collapse after strong start
Australia raced to 70 without loss in the powerplay as Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh attacked relentlessly, with Head reaching fifty in 27 balls and punishing Dushan Hemantha.
Sri Lanka triggered a dramatic turnaround when Hemantha dismissed Head for 56, as wickets began to fall quickly and momentum shifted sharply away from Australia during the middle overs.
Hemantha finished with 4-0-37-3 and Dushmantha Chameera removed key batters including Josh Inglis, as Australia lost 10 wickets for 77 runs in the final 70 balls.
Injury blow for Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka suffered an early setback when Matheesha Pathirana left the field clutching his left calf, preventing him from continuing to bowl in the crucial match.
Despite his absence, Sri Lanka’s bowlers maintained control in the closing stages, restricting Australia below what had once appeared a total exceeding 220 runs.
Nissanka leads the chase
Sri Lanka lost experienced batter Kusal Perera early to Marcus Stoinis, but star opening batter Pathum Nissanka counterattacked with authority during the powerplay.
Nissanka struck three boundaries in one over against Xavier Bartlett, racing to 38 from 20 balls as Sri Lanka reached 61 for one after six overs.
Alongside Kusal Mendis, Nissanka maintained the required rate, and both batters reached their half-centuries in the same over, with Mendis registering his third consecutive World Cup fifty.
Momentum swings and milestones
Australia applied brief pressure through Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa, yet Pathum Nissanka continued hitting boundaries, maintaining Sri Lanka’s momentum throughout the chase.
Nissanka struck 20 runs off one over from Stoinis, hit two sixes off Nathan Ellis
Sri Lanka seal qualification
With 13 runs required from the final three overs, Nissanka closed in on his century and finished the match unbeaten after reaching three figures, the first-ever in the ongoing edition.
Sri Lanka completed the chase with two overs to spare, confirming their qualification for the Super Eights.
