Opener Pathum Nissanka made history by scoring a century in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, leading Sri Lanka to an eight-wicket victory over Australia. Nissanka’s unbeaten 100 off 52 deliveries secured a spot for the co-hosts in the Super 8s.
Despite a shaky start with the early dismissal of Kusal Perera, Nissanka and Kusal Mendis built a strong partnership, propelling Sri Lanka to a successful chase. The co-hosts dominated the Power-play, scoring 61 runs for the 1st wicket and maintaining pressure on Australia throughout the match.
Key to Sri Lanka’s victory was the impressive partnership between Mendis and Nissanka, who put together an unbeaten 87-run stand. Their solid performance, along with effective spin bowling, helped the hosts secure a comfortable win over Australia.
Earlier, Australia’s aggressive batting led by skipper Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head set a challenging target of 182. However, Sri Lanka’s bowlers, especially Dushan Hemantha, contained the Australian batsmen, leading to a collapse in the latter overs.
