Sri Lanka's Dramatic Victory Pushes Australia to World Cup Brink
Australia's T20 World Cup campaign now hangs by a thread after a stunning eight-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka in Pallekele. The co-hosts produced a magnificent fightback, spearheaded by Pathum Nissanka's breathtaking unbeaten century, to secure victory with two overs to spare and advance to the Super Eights stage.
Nissanka's Masterclass Seals Historic Chase
Pathum Nissanka delivered one of the tournament's finest innings, scoring a brilliant 52-ball 100 not out to guide Sri Lanka to a record home chase of 182. Despite losing recalled opener Kusal Perera early, Nissanka combined first with Kusal Mendis (51 off 38 balls) and then with Pavan Rathnayake to dismantle Australia's bowling attack with clinical precision.
The match turned decisively in the 15th over when Rathnayake smashed Marcus Stoinis for 20 runs, reducing the target to just 41 from five overs. Sri Lanka needed only three of those overs to complete the victory, with Nissanka reaching his century off the penultimate delivery in a fitting climax to a dominant performance.
Australia's Collapse Proves Costly
Australia's innings followed a dramatic pattern of early dominance followed by spectacular collapse. Returning captain Mitch Marsh, playing his first match since suffering a testicular injury, combined with Travis Head to put on a century opening partnership at more than two runs per ball.
The pair looked unstoppable during the powerplay, with Marsh hitting five consecutive boundaries off Maheesh Theekshana in the sixth over. Head reached his half-century in just 27 balls, breaking out of a poor run of form that had seen him score only 50 runs in his previous four innings.
However, the match turned completely after Head's dismissal for 56 off 29 balls. Australia lost ten wickets for just 77 runs in 69 balls, collapsing from 0-104 to 181 all out off the final delivery. The middle order failed completely, with Cameron Green (stumped for 3), Tim David (caught for 6), and Glenn Maxwell (22) unable to build on the strong start.
Tournament Implications and Australia's Precarious Position
The result leaves Australia needing multiple results to go their way to avoid elimination before their final group match. Their tournament fate now depends on Zimbabwe's performance against Ireland on Tuesday and Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
If Zimbabwe beat Ireland, Australia are mathematically eliminated. Even if Zimbabwe lose both matches, Australia must beat Oman convincingly on Friday and hope their net run rate surpasses Zimbabwe's. The defending champions find themselves in this precarious position largely due to their shock loss to Zimbabwe earlier in the tournament.
Key Moments and Turning Points
Sri Lanka's victory was built on several crucial moments beyond Nissanka's century. The early injury to seamer Matheesha Pathirana, who suffered a calf injury after just four balls, could have derailed their plans. Instead, the spinners stepped up to change the game completely in mid-innings.
Australia's selection decisions came under scrutiny, particularly the inclusion of Cameron Green despite his poor tournament form (21, 0, 3) ahead of Steve Smith or the in-form Matt Renshaw. Renshaw had been dropped despite top-scoring with 65 in the loss to Zimbabwe that put Australia under pressure in this must-win match.
The fielding also proved decisive, with Nissanka taking a superb catch to dismiss Glenn Maxwell reverse sweeping, while Australia missed opportunities including a first-ball stumping chance against Josh Inglis, who went on to score 27.
Sri Lanka's comprehensive victory not only secures their Super Eights place but sends a strong message to other tournament contenders. For Australia, the once-dominant T20 side now faces the very real prospect of an early World Cup exit, their campaign hanging on results beyond their control.
