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

18m ago Jack Paynter, at Pallekele Stadium

Match Report

18m 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 sublime 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 and send a sold-out home crowd into raptures.

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 Mitch 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).

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 they we had," Marsh said post-match.

"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 Stoinis (2-46) grabbed the opening wicket of recalled batter Kusal Perera, Nissanka and Mendis gave Sri Lanka a strong start of their own during Powerplay as they added 61 runs in the first six overs.

Nissanka and Mendis appeared to find gaps with ease as they added 97 for the second wicket before Stoinis returned to break the partnership again as the latter picked out Cooper Connolly on the leg side boundary.

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

Nissanka put the foot 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 massive six off the last delivery to send the Sri Lankan fans into raptures.

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 not answer for the Sri Lankan opener who cantered to a 52-ball ton before Rathnayake sealed a thumping eight-wicket victory when he swept Adam Zampa powerfully behind square for four the very next ball.

It was Nissanka's second T20 international century and the first of this World Cup as he scored his second fifty in the space of just 22 balls.

It capped a stunning day out for the right-hander 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.

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