Pathum Nissanka delivered a sensational century to power Sri Lanka past Australia, ensuring qualification for the Super Eights in the T20 World Cup 2026 with a dominant batting display.
The opening batter became the first to score a hundred against Australia in a chase in Men’s T20Is, surpassing Fakhar Zaman’s 91-run effort in 2018 at Harare.
Nissanka also became only the second Sri Lankan to reach a hundred against Australia in Men’s T20Is, following Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 104 not out at Pallekele in 2011.
His innings set a new benchmark in T20 World Cup history, breaking Umar Akmal’s previous highest score of 94 against Australia in 2014 and marking the first Sri Lankan century against the team.
Nissanka is the second Sri Lankan to score a T20 World Cup century, following Mahela Jayawardene, who achieved the feat against Zimbabwe during the 2010 tournament.
Australia started strongly, reaching 70 without loss in the powerplay, with Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh attacking aggressively, while Head reached fifty in just 27 balls.
The momentum shifted dramatically when Dushan Hemantha dismissed Head for 56, triggering a collapse as wickets tumbled and Australia lost 10 wickets for 77 runs in the final seventy balls.
Hemantha finished with figures of 4-0-37-3, while Dushmantha Chameera removed key batters including Josh Inglis, helping Sri Lanka regain control and restrict Australia to a chaseable total.
Sri Lanka began their innings with an early loss of Kusal Perera to Marcus Stoinis, but Nissanka counterattacked decisively during the crucial powerplay overs.
He struck three boundaries in a single over off Xavier Bartlett, racing to 38 from 20 balls, helping Sri Lanka reach 61 for one at the end of the first six overs.
Alongside Kusal Mendis, Nissanka maintained a strong scoring rate, with both batters reaching half-centuries in the same over, while Mendis recorded his third consecutive World Cup fifty in this tournament.
Sri Lanka required 13 runs from the final three overs, and Nissanka remained unbeaten to reach three figures, securing the first century of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026.
The hosts completed the chase with two overs to spare, sealing a memorable victory, confirming their Super Eights qualification, and highlighting Nissanka’s record-breaking talent and resilience under pressure.
