Pathum Nissanka’s unbeaten knock guided Sri Lanka defeat Australia in T20 World Cup 2026, booking their place in the Super Eights and putting Australia on the verge of exit.
Published: February 17, 2026 1:41 AM IST
T20 World Cup 2026: Sri Lanka crushed Australia in their Group B fixture to secure their place in the Super Eights, leaving Australia on the brink of elimination and hoping for a miracle.
Skipper Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head got Australia off to a flying start, guiding the team to 104 in the first 50 legal deliveries. However, Sri Lanka’s spinners and some brilliant fielding shifted the momentum, as the Aussies lost 10 wickets for just 77 runs in the final 70 balls.
Meanhwile, despite an early setback, Sri Lanka’s star opener, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis, chased down the total with precision. Nissanka, who grabbed a mind-boggling catch to remove Glenn Maxwell, went on to score an unbeaten century, guiding Sri Lanka to victory with two overs to spare.
Matheesha Pathirana was ruled out of the match due to calf injury
With Matheesha Pathirana forced out of the game due to a calf injury in his first over, Sri Lanka’s spin attack stepped up, as they picked six wickets, complemented by strong closing from Dushmantha Chameera. Meanwhile, Australia’s lead spinner Adam Zampa went wicketless and conceded 41 runs in his four overs, proving unable to make a decisive impact.
Check Group B points table after Australia vs Sri Lanka in T20 World Cup 2026 HERE…
| Teams | M | W | L | T | N/R | PTS | NRR |
| Sri Lanka | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | +2.462 |
| Zimbabwe | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +1.984 |
| Australia | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +0.414 |
| Ireland | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +0.150 |
| Oman | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4.546 |
Pathum Nissanka highlighted the importance of a strong power
Pathum Nissanka, who on the Player of the Match reflected on his knock and also highlighted the importance of a strong powerplay, “The wicket was pretty good today and it allowed him to play his normal game. And he is happy that he was able to get a hundred and get the team home. We needed a good powerplay. We got a good partnership with Kusal Mendis. And we were able to continue from there and after that it was just continuing the inning and seeing it through.
Also, read: Pathum Nissanka STARS with unbeaten century as Sri Lanka crush Australia to enter Super Eights
(Group B points table updated till Australia vs Sri Lanka T20 World Cup 226 match)
For all latest updates of T20 World Cup 2026 you can visit: https://www.india.com/icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2026/<!–</–>
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