AUS vs SL, T20 World Cup 2026: Nissanka century powers Sri Lanka to Super Eight, pushes Australia to brink of exit

It is not often you see an Australian team walk around the field with drooping shoulders. The reaction was logical in view of what transpired at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Monday. Egged on by the vociferous home support, Sri Lanka trumped the Aussies by eight wickets to push it to the brink of elimination from T20 World Cup 2026.

Pathum Nissanka (100 n.o., 52b, 10×4, 5×6) and Kusal Mendis (51, 38b, 6×4, 1×6) chose precision over power to put up a 97-run second-wicket association, which helped the home side chase down the 182-run target with 12 balls to spare.

Pavan Rathnayake ensured Mendis’ wicket didn’t trigger a collapse mirroring the first innings, playing the perfect foil to Nissanka’s batting masterclass at the other end against a crestfallen bowling attack. This allowed the opener to race away to his second T20I hundred, thus guiding his side through to the Super Eight stage.

Earlier, Steve Smith’s addition to the squad as Josh Hazlewood’s replacement prompted suggestions that Mitchell Marsh was not ready to participate. But it was the captain (54, 27b, 8×4, 2×6) who strode out alongside Travis Head (56, 29b, 7×4, 3×6) to give the side the blistering start that it had been longing for this tournament.

The Australian openers punished the opponent’s inability to stick to a nagging line, racing to a 104-run opening partnership within nine overs. The tables turned once both openers fell after their rapid half-centuries to Dushan Hemantha (three for 37).

The rest of the batting order, barring a brief partnership between Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis, looked to inflate the scoring rate without accounting for the turn on offer for the tweakers, resulting in a flurry of wickets. With just 71 runs to show in its final ten overs, it is clear where Australia lost the plot.

Published on Feb 16, 2026