Pathum Nissanka etched his name into the record books on Monday night, smashing the first century of the 2026 T20 World Cup to guide Sri Lanka national cricket team to a commanding eight-wicket victory over Australia national cricket team at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
The win secured Sri Lanka’s place in the Super 8 stage and left the 2021 champions Australia facing the possibility of an early exit following their earlier defeat to Zimbabwe.
Chasing a competitive target of 182, Sri Lanka’s innings was anchored by a superb knock from Nissanka. After the early dismissal of Kusal Perera to Marcus Stoinis, Nissanka built a crucial 97-run partnership with Kusal Mendis. Mendis contributed a fluent 51 before falling, but Nissanka remained resolute, mixing aggressive stroke play with smart strike rotation to keep the chase firmly under control.
He reached his century in the 18th over with a single off Adam Zampa, sparking jubilant celebrations among the home crowd. His unbeaten 101 featured a series of powerful sixes against bowlers including Nathan Ellis and Cooper Connolly. By the time Pavan Rathnayake struck the winning runs with two overs to spare, Nissanka had also become only the second Sri Lankan to surpass 2,500 runs in T20 Internationals.
Earlier, Australia appeared dominant as returning captain Mitchell Marsh (54) and Travis Head (56) put on a rapid 104-run opening stand inside nine overs. However, leg-spinner Dushan Hemantha turned the match with a three-wicket spell that triggered a dramatic collapse, with Australia bowled out for 181 in exactly 20 overs. Nissanka also shone in the field, taking a stunning catch to dismiss Glenn Maxwell, completing a memorable all-round performance.
