Sri Lanka defeated Australia by 8 wickets, Nishank was the hero of the match, place in Super-8 confirmed

In the T20 World Cup 2026, Sri Lanka performed brilliantly and created a big upset by defeating Australia by 8 wickets. The hero of this victory was Pathum Nissanka, who scored an explosive century to give his team a spectacular victory. With this defeat, the Australian team has come very close to being out of the tournament, while Sri Lanka has become the first team from Group B to make it to the Super-8.

Australia scored 181 runs in 20 overs

In this match played in Pallekele, Australia batted first after losing the toss and scored 181 runs in the stipulated 20 overs. The team had a good start and the openers tried to lay a strong foundation, but the middle-order batsmen could not live up to the expectations. Despite half-centuries from the opening batsmen, the Australian team could not succeed in making a big score and were restricted to 181 runs in the stipulated overs.

The Sri Lankan team, which came to chase the target of 182 runs, batted aggressively. Pathum Nissanka batted in excellent rhythm and scored unbeaten 100 runs in just 52 balls. In this memorable innings, he hit 10 fours and 5 sixes. On the basis of his brilliant batting, Sri Lanka achieved the target in just 18 overs and won the match.

Apart from Nissanka, Kusal Mendis also performed well. He scored 51 runs in 38 balls, which included 6 fours and a six. Pawan Ratnayake also played an important role in ensuring the team’s victory by scoring 28 runs in 15 balls in a flamboyant manner. With the combined efforts of these batsmen, Sri Lanka kept Australia under complete pressure.

Second batsman to score a century in T20 World Cup

With this century, Pathum Nissanka has become the highest run-scorer of the tournament. In three matches of the group stage, he now has 137 runs to his name, which includes a century. Earlier, he had scored 24 runs against Ireland and 13 runs against Oman. Also, he has become the second batsman for Sri Lanka to score a century in the T20 World Cup. Before him, only Mahela Jayawardene had achieved this feat.

With this victory, Sri Lanka not only confirmed its place in the Super-8, but also presented its strong claim in the tournament. At the same time, the Australian team is now facing the danger of being out of the tournament.