Australia is on the brink of first round exit at the T20 World Cup 2026 after a demoralizing loss at the hands of Sri Lankans. Pathum Nissanka was the wrecker-in-chief for Australia as Sri Lanka chased a 180-plus score in just 18 overs.
Nissanka scored the first century of the ongoing T20 World Cup. Hi exploits earned his team a place in the Super-8s. Nissanka scored 100 not out off 52 balls with five sixes and 10 fours. Sri Lanka reached 184-2 with two overs to spare in Pallekelle and won the game by 8 wickets.
In the first innings, Sri Lanka bowled Australia out for 181. Right from the get-go, Nissanka made his intentions clear with a pick-up six over fine leg in the first over. Kusal Perera fell in the second over, but that didn’t deter Nissanka from his target. He punished Australian bowlers all around the ground with some eye-catching strokes. Kushal Mendis provided good support in the powerplay as Sri Lanka raced to 61/1 in 6 overs.
Mendis also matched the aggression of Nissanka and even outscored him at one point. The two batters added 97 runs before the partnership was broken by Stoinis. However, Australia’s problems didn’t end there; the new batter, Pavan Rathnayake, began his innings with two successive boundaries. This ensured the momentum for the Sri Lankan team.
They required 61 runs off the last six overs. At exactly that point, Nissaka accelerated further and smashed Stoinis for 20 runs in an over. In the meantime, Rathnayake survived two stumping chances.
It was Nissanka’s night, and Australia couldn’t do a thing. He hit Ellis for a couple of sixes, one over third man and the other over fine leg.
It was an innings from Nissanka where he showed his full repertoire of strokeplay. The crowd cheered heavily for him. Nissanka completed his century, and then Rathnayake finished the job with a boundary.
