Sri Lanka booked their place in the Super Eights stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after registering a commanding 8-wicket win over Australia in their third game of the tournament on 16th February at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. This victory marks Sri Lanka’s third consecutive win, keeping their unbeaten run alive in the competition.
Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka won the toss and opted to bowl first. Australia posted a competitive total of 181 runs, led by strong performances from their openers Travis Head (56) and Mitchell Marsh (54).
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For Sri Lanka, wrist-spinner Dushan Hemantha was the standout bowler, producing his best T20I bowling figures of 3/37, helping to keep Australia’s total in check.
Chasing 182, Sri Lanka cruised to victory in the 18th over with 8 wickets in hand. The chase was powered by a sensational century from Pathum Nissanka, who remained unbeaten on 100 off 52 balls, smashing 10 fours and 5 sixes at a strike rate of 192.31.
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He received excellent support from the wicket-keeper batter Kusal Mendis, who contributed 51 runs off 38 balls, including 6 fours and a six. The duo stitched together a 97-run partnership for the second wicket, laying a solid foundation for Sri Lanka’s triumph.
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Marsh | lbw b Dushan Hemantha | 54 | 27 | 8 | 2 | 200.00 |
| Travis Head | c Kamindu Mendis b Dunith Wellalage | 56 | 29 | 7 | 3 | 193.10 |
| Cameron Green | st Kusal Mendis b Dunith Wellalage | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 42.86 |
| Tim David | c Dushan Hemantha b Kamindu Mendis | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 120.00 |
| Josh Inglis | c Dunith Wellalage b Dushmantha Chameera | 27 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 117.39 |
| Glenn Maxwell | c Pathum Nissanka b Dushan Hemantha | 22 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 146.67 |
| Marcus Stoinis | c Maheesh Theekshana b Dushmantha Chameera | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Cooper Connolly | c Kusal Perera b Maheesh Theekshana | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 75.00 |
| Xavier Bartlett | run out (Kusal Mendis) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Nathan Ellis | not out | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Adam Zampa | run out (Kusal Mendis) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras | 5 (b 0 , lb 0 , nb 1, w 4, pen 0) |
| Total | 181/10 (20 Overs, RR: 9.05) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dushmantha Chameera | 4 | 0 | 36 | 2 | 9.00 | |
| Maheesh Theekshana | 4 | 0 | 37 | 1 | 9.25 | |
| Matheesha Pathirana | 0.4 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 22.50 | |
| Dasun Shanaka | 1.2 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 13.33 | |
| Dushan Hemantha | 4 | 0 | 37 | 3 | 9.25 | |
| Dunith Wellalage | 4 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 8.25 | |
| Kamindu Mendis | 2 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 9.50 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | not out | 100 | 52 | 10 | 5 | 192.31 |
| Kusal Perera | c Nathan Ellis b Marcus Stoinis | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Kusal Mendis | c Cooper Connolly b Marcus Stoinis | 51 | 38 | 6 | 1 | 134.21 |
| Pavan Rathnayake | not out | 28 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 186.67 |
| Extras | 4 (b 0 , lb 0 , nb 0, w 4, pen 0) |
| Total | 184/2 (18 Overs, RR: 10.22) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xavier Bartlett | 2 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 11.00 | |
| Marcus Stoinis | 4 | 0 | 46 | 1 | 11.50 | |
| Nathan Ellis | 3 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 10.67 | |
| Cooper Connolly | 3 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 9.00 | |
| Adam Zampa | 4 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 10.25 | |
| Glenn Maxwell | 2 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 8.00 | |
