Nissanka brought up his second T20I hundred off just 52 balls.
| Photo Credit: AP
It is not often you see an Australian team walk around the field with drooping shoulders. The reaction was logical in view of what transpired at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, on Monday (February 16, 2026).
Egged on by the vociferous home support, Sri Lanka trumped the Aussies by eight wickets to push them to the brink of elimination from the ICC T20 World Cup.
Pathum Nissanka (100 n.o., 52b, 10×4, 5×6) and Kusal Mendis (51, 38b, 6×4, 1×6) chose precision over power to put up a 97-run second-wicket stand, which helped the home side chase down the 182-run target with two overs to spare.
Supporting role
Pavan Rathnayake ensured Kusal’s wicket didn’t trigger a collapse mirroring the first innings, playing the perfect foil to Nissanka’s batting masterclass at the other end against a crestfallen bowling attack. Within the blink of an eye, the opener raced to his second T20I hundred to guide his side through to the Super Eight stage.
Earlier, Steve Smith’s addition to the squad as Josh Hazlewood’s replacement prompted suggestions that Mitchell Marsh was not ready to take the field.
But it was the captain (54, 27b, 8×4, 2×6) who strode out alongside Travis Head (56, 29b, 7×4, 3×6) to give the team a blistering start it was longing for in this tournament.
The Australian openers punished the opponent’s inability to stick to a nagging line, racing to a 104-run partnership within nine overs. The tables turned once both fell to Dushan Hemantha (three for 37) after their rapid half-centuries.
The rest of the batting order, barring a brief partnership between Josh Inglis and Glenn Maxwell, looked to inflate the scoring rate without accounting for the turn on offer for the tweakers, resulting in a flurry of wickets. With just 71 runs to show in its final 10 overs, it was clear where Australia lost the plot.
The scores: Australia 181 in 20 overs (Mitchell Marsh 54, Travis Head 56, Dushmantha Chameera 2/36, Dushan Hemantha 3/37) lost to Sri Lanka 184/2 in 18 overs (Pathum Nissanka 100 n.o., Kusal Mendis 51, Marcus Stoinis 2/46).
Toss: Lanka; PoM: Nissanka.
Published – February 16, 2026 06:59 pm IST
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