Pathum Nissanka lit up Pallekele with a stunning unbeaten hundred as Sri Lanka beat Australia by eight wickets in a Group B match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Chasing 182, Sri Lanka made it look easy. They reached 184 for 2 in just 18 overs and sealed their place in the Super Eights with a third straight win.
Nissanka scored 100 not out off 52 balls. It was the first hundred of this World Cup and it came under pressure against a strong Australian attack.
He attacked from the start and found gaps all around the ground. His timing was clean, and he never let the bowlers settle.
Kusal Mendis gave him solid support with a quick 51. The pair added 97 runs together and broke the back of the chase.
After Mendis fell, Pavan Rathnayake kept the scoring rate high. He survived two stumping chances before finishing the game with the winning boundary.
Earlier, Australia had made a strong start. Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh added 104 runs for the first wicket and scored 70 in the PowerPlay.
Head made 56 and Marsh hit 54, putting Sri Lanka under early pressure. At one stage, Australia looked set for a much bigger total.
But Sri Lanka’s spinners pulled things back brilliantly. Dushan Hemantha led the charge with 3 for 37, while Dunith Wellalage chipped in with tight overs.
Australia collapsed from a strong position and were bowled out for 181. The middle order failed to build on the solid platform.
Dushmantha Chameera took 2 for 36 and Maheesh Theekshana delivered a superb 19th over that went for just two runs.
Sri Lanka also had a setback when Matheesha Pathirana limped off with a suspected left hamstring injury. Despite that, the hosts were sharp in the field.
Nissanka took a brilliant leaping catch, and Theekshana pulled off a stunner as Sri Lanka showed great energy.
With this win, Sri Lanka are through to the Super Eights as co hosts. Australia, after two losses, now depend on other results to stay alive.