Sri Lanka beat Australia by 8 wickets at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on February 16, 2026, sealing their place in the Super 8 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Pathum Nissanka scored the first century of the tournament to lead the chase. Australia, who needed a win to stay alive, are now depending on other results to survive in the competition.
Sri Lanka chased down 182 with 12 balls to spare, finishing on 184 for 2 in 18 overs. It was a clean, controlled chase from start to finish.
Nissanka Leads Sri Lanka Home With a Century
Pathum Nissanka played an outstanding innings to win this match for Sri Lanka. He scored 100 not out off just 52 balls, hitting 10 fours and 5 sixes. This was the first hundred of the 2026 T20 World Cup and also the first time any Sri Lankan batter has scored two T20 international centuries.
Nissanka built a 97-run opening stand with Kusal Mendis, who scored 51 off 38 balls. It was Mendis’s third fifty of the tournament. The two batters put Sri Lanka in full control early in the chase. Once Mendis was out, Pavan Rathnayake came in and added 76 runs with Nissanka off just 34 balls. Rathnayake hit the winning runs as the Pallekele crowd celebrated wildly.
Nissanka was sharp in the field too. He took a sharp catch to dismiss Glenn Maxwell during Australia’s innings, which helped stop the momentum Australia were building.
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Australia’s Collapse Hands Match to Sri Lanka
Australia looked on track for a big total after Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head put on 104 runs off 51 balls at the top of the order. Marsh scored 54 off 27 balls on his return from a groin injury. Head contributed 56 off 29 balls. Both played freely and Australia were pushing towards 200 at that point.
Then Sri Lanka’s spinners took over. Dushan Hemantha took 3 wickets for 37 runs. Dunith Wellalage got a key breakthrough. The pitch slowed down after the 10th over and Australia’s batters kept losing wickets trying to score at the same rate. Australia lost their last 6 wickets for just 21 runs and finished on 181 all out. The Australia squad came into this match without several key pace bowlers due to injury, and it showed in their bowling too.
What Australia Need to Stay in the Tournament
Australia now have just one win from three matches in Group B. They are on the brink of their first group-stage exit since 2009, the year they last failed to reach the knockout rounds of a T20 World Cup.
Australia must beat Oman in their next match by a big margin to improve their net run rate. They also need Zimbabwe to lose against Ireland. If Zimbabwe beat Ireland, Australia are out immediately regardless of their own result. Mitchell Marsh summed it up after the match, saying the situation is “in the lap of the gods now.”
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are through to the Super 8. They join the other 2026 qualifiers, including West Indies, England, Afghanistan, and South Africa, who have already secured their spots. Sri Lanka’s win was built on smart batting and sharp spin bowling on a ground that slowed down as the innings progressed.
The match at Pallekele was one of the most talked-about of the tournament so far. The ground was full and the crowd noise throughout the chase was intense.
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