Sri Lanka are chasing 182 to seal their spot in the Super Eight stage

The return of captain Mitch Marsh has sparked Australia’s top order back in form as they set Sri Lanka 182 to win their T20 World Cup encounter in Kandy.

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 Travis Head (56 off 29 balls) laid the platform for their 181 all out after being sent in.

Their 104-run stand proved 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 the 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 that point, 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 smashed five straight boundaries from Maheesh Theekshana’s third over – the last of the Powerplay – as Sri Lanka’s premier T20 spinner, in the absence of the injured star Wanindu Hasaranga, gave up 35 runs in his opening spell.

Australia’s 70 runs from the first six overs was fourth highest Powerplay of the tournament’s 30 matches so far and the team’s best since the first T20I against South Africa in August last year.

Head and Marsh’s opening union, which ended in the 10th over on 104, was also Australia’s best for the first-wicket in T20 internationals since David Warner and Aaron Finch put on an unbeaten 134 during the last bilateral tour of Sri Lanka in 2022.

“It looked like it slowed up in the second half of the innings so it’s a really important Powerplay for us (coming up) before the spinners come on,” Head said at the innings break.

“It was nice to have ‘Mitchy’ (Marsh) back; the partnership rolled along.”

Head reached his half-century in 27 balls before picking out wide long on shortly after as Hasaranga’s leg-spinning replacement Dushan Hemantha (3-37) gave the co-hosts a much-needed breakthrough.

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

Australia then 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 Pathum Nissanka who hung in the air to catch Glenn Maxwell’s reverse sweep above his head while diving backwards.

Josh Inglis (27), who slid to No.5 with Marsh’s return, and Maxwell (22) kept the scoreboard ticking but Australia’s innings fell away towards the end as they lost six wickets for 21 runs after the latter was dismissed.

Speedster Dushmantha 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 as Australia were bowled out on the last ball of the innings.

Sri Lanka currently sit top of the Group B can seal their progression to the Super Eight stage by overhauling their 181-run target.

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

Australia’s Group Stage fixtures

February 11: beat Ireland by 67 runs

February 13: lost to Zimbabwe by 23 runs

February 16: v Sri Lanka, Pallekele International Stadium, Kandy (Feb 17, 12:30am AEDT)

February 20: v Oman, Pallekele International Stadium, Kandy (Feb 21, 12:30am AEDT)

Australia’s Super Eight fixtures

(Assuming all seeded teams qualify)

February 23: Australia (X2) v West Indies (X3), Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (Feb 24, 12:30am AEDT)

February 26: India (X1) v Australia (X2), MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai (Feb 27, 12:30am AEDT)

March 1: Australia (X2) v South Africa (X4), Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, 8:30pm AEDT

Click here for the full tournament schedule

All matches will be broadcast on Amazon’s Prime Video