Pathum Nissanka nominated his reverse sweep six off Cooper Connolly as his favourite shot of his maiden T20 World Cup hundred, but there were two others in the space of two balls that showed the ease at which he all but crushed Australia’s title hopes.
Having broken the back of the run chase in crashing Marcus Stoinis – Australia’s only wicket-taking bowler of the match – for 20 in his final over, Nissanka then turned his attention to the most experienced specialist quick in his opponent’s line up.
Sri Lanka had blunted the impact of Australia’s two key weapons across the first three quarters of their pursuit of 182, watchfully seeing off the first two overs from Nathan Ellis for 14 runs and taking 26 from Adam Zampa’s opening three.
But with the required rate well in control with just 27 needed from 21 balls, Nissanka – regarded by many as Sri Lanka’s next great three-format batter with Test and ODI averages above 40, along with a T20I mark in the 30s – seized his moment.
With a quick one-two to the leg side, the 27-year-old right-hander clipped an Ellis short ball 71m over wide third where it thumped into the advertising hoardings and bounced back into the field of play.
A wide then reduced the equation to a run-a-ball 20 needed before Nissanka showcased his touch on the other side of the wicket.
This time the opener shimmied to the off side where he was waiting for the Australian quick’s fuller delivery, effortlessly flicking his blade to send the ball flying over the rope at fine leg for another six.
Two legal deliveries; two sixes either side of wicketkeeper Josh Inglis had Sri Lanka on the verge of a famous victory with just 13 required from the final three overs to seal a spot in the Super Eight stage in front of a pulsating home crowd.
Mitch Marsh admitted his side had few answers to counter Nissanka’s effortless run scoring as he consistently pieced Australia’s boundary line fielders for his 10 fours, which he complemented with five sixes.
In what would turn out to be the match’s final over, the Galle-born batter split deep square leg and deep midwicket twice with a pair of sweetly timed sweeps before nudging Zampa to the deep midwicket fielder to raise his bat for a stunning 52-ball ton.
Pavan Rathnayake sealed the thumping eight-wicket win the next delivery as Zampa was swept again to the leg side boundary, with Australia’s two most experienced frontline bowlers at this tournament conceding 33 combined in their final overs of the contest and going wicketless for second straight match.
“I thought Nissanka just played brilliantly,” Marsh reflected post-match. “To take our situation and our team out of it, you take your hat off to someone when they score 100 off (52) balls in a World Cup match in a tight run chase at this stage of our group.
“It was an incredible innings, and we didn’t have many answers for him.”
Nissanka has worked hard across his six years in international cricket, after making his debut in all formats in March 2021, to steadily improve his game, lifting his all-format average from 27 in his first year to better than 40 since that start of 2024.
In than span he’s notched an ODI double ton against Afghanistan at Pallekele, the same venue where he blitzed the Australians overnight, while his Test average last calendar year was 77, with two scores above 150 in his five innings.
Nissanka hit his first T20 international century against India in last year’s Asia Cup, but it was an innings of note on the world stage he desperately craved.
“I had a huge target to score a hundred in a World Cup, so I’m very happy (to have achieved) it,” he said.
“We were planning to bat normally for up to 12 overs and once we got there, we realised we were batting well and getting runs so we didn’t really have to push it.
“We never had the opportunity where we needed to go after the bowling.”
Whereas Nissanka and batting partners Kusal Mendis and Rathnayake accelerated through the second half of their innings, Australian skipper Marsh said Sri Lanka’s bowlers “pulled (his side) back beautifully” as Australia lost their way after he and Travis Head had put on 104 runs for the first wicket in just 8.3 overs.
Spin again proved their undoing as Australia lost 10 wickets for 77 runs, including a collapse of 6-21 to be bowled out for 181 on the final ball of the innings.
“We were a few short after the start we got and we probably knew that going into the second innings,” Marsh said.
“We had great belief that we’d get the job done but we were outplayed.
“I think it was probably just execution; that full strength batting line up has got some of the best players of spin in Australia.”
It leaves his side’s T20 World Cup campaign on life support, needing Zimbabwe to lose their final two group matches, beginning with Ireland on Tuesday and Sri Lanka on Thursday (both 8.30pm AEDT). Australia would then need to beat Oman on Friday night (Saturday, 12.30am AEDT).
“I dare say that we’ll all be watching it,” Marsh said of the Ireland-Zimbabwe clash, also at the Pallekele Stadium.
“Right now, it’s out of our control so we’ll wait and see.
“What do you say? (Let’s hope for) the luck of the Irish.”
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: lost to Sri Lanka by eight wickets
February 20: v Oman, Pallekele International Stadium, Kandy (Feb 21, 12:30am AEDT)
Click here for the full tournament schedule
All matches will be broadcast on Amazon’s Prime Video