Australia's World Cup on the brink after Nissanka's sublime ton

2h ago Jack Paynter, at Pallekele Stadium

Match Report

2h ago Jack Paynter, at Pallekele Stadium

Sri Lanka have sealed their spot in the Super Eight stage with a thumping eight-wicket win over Australia

Australia's T20 World Cup campaign is on the brink after opener Pathum Nissanka's stunning century saw Sri Lanka canter to an eight-wicket win in Kandy.

Australia's innings fell away late after being sent in at Pallekele Stadium, losing their final six wickets for 21 runs to be all out for 181 after returning skipper Mitch Marsh and Travis Head put on a 104-run opening stand.

But that wasn't the case for the co-hosts as Nissanka (100 not out off 52 balls), Kusal Mendis (51 off 38) and Pavan Rathnayake (28no off 15) eased their side to their 182-run target with 12 balls to spare to send a sold-out home crowd into a frenzy.

With just two points from three games so far, Zimbabwe can knock Australia out of the tournament by beating Ireland on Tuesday.

Should Ireland do Marsh's side a favour, they'd still need Sri Lanka to account for Zimbabwe on Thursday to be alive heading into their final group match against Oman on Friday (Saturday, 12.30am AEDT).

Renshaw left out as Marsh returns for Sri Lanka crunch clash

Sri Lanka will have nothing on the line in their clash with the African nation with victory over Australia sealing their spot in the Super Eight stage where they'll go into Group 2 alongside England, who have also qualified already following their win over Italy.

"There's no doubt we left ourselves a few short after the start that we had," Marsh said during the post-match presentation.

"We lost our way towards the end; we just couldn't get a partnership going.

"But well done to Sri Lanka, they outplayed us tonight. It's a devastated group (at the moment)."

After Marcus Stoinis (2-46) snared the opening wicket of recalled Sri Lankan batter Kusal Perera, Nissanka and Mendis gave Sri Lanka a strong start of their own to add 61 runs in the Powerplay.

The pair found gaps with ease as they added 97 for the second wicket, constantly piecing Australia's boundary line fielders before Stoinis returned to break the partnership again as Mendis picked out Cooper Connolly on the leg side boundary.

It was the right-hander's third half-century in as many innings at this World Cup following scores of 56 not out (against Ireland) and 61 (against Oman) as he soared to the top the tournament runs tally.

Australia are relying on Zimbabwe losing their next two games to stay alive in the T20 World Cup // Getty

Nissanka put the foot to the floor in the 15th over coming out of the second drinks break as he slammed 20 runs from Stoinis' final six balls of the match, including a towering six over square leg off the last delivery that brought one of the loudest roars of the night.

Rathnayake chipped in to put the match within Sri Lanka's grasp before Nissanka reduced the equation to less than a run-a-ball when he lifted Nathan Ellis for back-to-back sixes either side of wicketkeeper Josh Inglis with two effortless flicks of his blade.

But the Aussie bowlers had no answer for the Sri Lankan opener who pressed a finger to his lips and held his arms aloft after cruising to a 52-ball ton with his side on the cusp of a famous victory. Rathnayake then sealed it next ball when he stepped across his stumps and swept Adam Zampa powerfully behind square for four.

It was Nissanka's second T20 international century and the first of this World Cup, scoring his second 50 runs at a rapid pace as he raised his bat again just 22 balls after reaching his fifty.

It capped a stunning day out for the 27-year-old who had earlier taken a screamer at backward point to dismiss Glann Maxwell.

Australia wasted a promising start with only Josh Inglis (27), who slid to No.5 with Marsh's return, and Maxwell (22) able to get going in the final 10 overs of the innings as spin again proved their nemesis before they were bowled out on the final ball of the innings.

Back in the side after missing the first two matches with a testicular injury, Marsh's return gave Australia's batting line up a sense of familiarity as he and opening partner Head (56 off 29) laid an excellent platform from which they later couldn't capitalise.

Their 104-run stand was Marsh (54 off 27) and Head's best as an opening pair – and second overall behind the 112 they scored for the second wicket against Scotland in 2024.

They began by pumping Dushmantha Chameera for two fours and a six in the opening over of the match as they raced past Australia's best opening partnership of the tournament in just the second over (previously 13 against Zimbabwe).

Australia had left out Matthew Renshaw, their leading run-scorer for the tournament, to accommodate their skipper's return, while the World Cup co-hosts suffered a huge blow early when star slinger Matheesha Pathirana limped off with a suspected left hamstring injury four legal deliveries into his first over.

Marsh and Head put on 104 in their first opening partnership of the tournament // Getty

Marsh smashed five straight boundaries from Maheesh Theekshana's third over – the last of the Powerplay – as Sri Lanka's spinner gave up 35 runs in his opening spell.

But the wheels fell off for the No.2 ranked side after Head reached his half-century from 27 balls, the left-hander picking out wide long on shortly after as Hasaranga's leg-spinning replacement Dushan Hemantha (3-37) gave Sri Lanka a much-needed breakthrough.

Cameron Green looked all at sea during his seven-ball stay before running past a wider delivery from left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage to be out stumped for three.

Australia lost a third in quick succession when Hemantha trapped Marsh, then a fourth as Tim David (6) also found long off.

Hemantha returned to pick up his third later in the innings courtesy of blinder at backward point by Nissanka, who hung in the air to catch Maxwell's reverse sweep above his head while diving backwards.

Speedster Chameera (2-36) conceded almost half of his tally when his opening over of the match went for 14 but redeemed himself with an excellent four-run final over, seizing the momentum for Sri Lanka, of which they never relinquished.

2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup

Australia squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserve: Sean Abbott