After the Powerplay, Pathum Nissanka toyed with the field, picking gaps and rotating the strike while mixing elegant cover drives with powerful pulls and lofted shots.
Key Points
- Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka slammed the first century of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
- His 52-ball ton guided Sri Lanka to an 8-wicket win over Australia and confirmed their place in the Super 8s.
- It was the first century by any batter against Australia in T20 World Cups.
As Sri Lanka defeated Australia by eight wickets in front of the home crowd to book a spot in the Super 8s on Monday, February 16, 2026, one man stood tall in a pressure-packed chase.
Pathum Nissanka's century might not go down as the most attacking or entertaining century in the history of T20 World Cups, but his match-winning knock, which contained 10 boundaries and five sixes, showcased his ability to take charge under pressure.
His 52-ball hundred was the first century of this year's tournament and it could not have come at a better time for Sri Lanka.
Opting to field first, Sri Lanka did well to restrict Australia to 181, who raced away to 97/0 in 8 overs with Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh going all guns blazing in the Powerplay.
Thereafter, they lost four wickets in a span of 26 balls and slumped to 131/4 in 13 overs and were eventually bowled out for 181.
Sri Lanka were off to a terrible start in what looked like a tough chase under lights. Kusal Perera fell cheaply in the second over for one.
Skill and composure under pressure
His opening partner Nissanka, however, remained unperturbed.
Holding his ground with resolve, the right-hander, in the company of Kusal Mendis, kept the scoreboard moving.
Nissanka began with positive intent, hitting Xavier Bartlett for a six over long leg before cracking back-to-back boundaries off the same bowler.
He barely changed gears from that belligerent start, motoring on while maintaining the control of the asking rate.
After the Powerplay, he toyed with the field, picking gaps and rotating the strike while mixing elegant cover drives with powerful pulls and lofted shots.
While Mendis was the first to bring up his half-century, who reached the milestone in 35 balls, Nissanka followed suit in the same over, taking three balls lesser than his partner.
Mendis departed soon, falling to Marcus Stonis, with Sri Lanka still needing 77 off 46 balls.
The young Pavan Rathnayake, however, kept the momentum going by cracking two boundaries off the very next deliveries.
Stoinis gets special treatment
At that point, Sri Lanka needed a couple of big overs to bring the equation back into reach.
Stoinis returned to bowl his final over and Nissanka was ready to take him on. He carted the medium pacer for two boundaries and a maximum for a 20-run over, which effectively pushed Australia out of the game.
With the target in sight, Nissanka smashed 16 runs off Nathan Ellis' third over and reached his hundred in the next over bowled by Adam Zampa with a single to long-on.
Sri Lanka's Highest T20 World Cup Individual Scores
Amid loud cheers from the crowd and his team-mates in the dugout, he pulled off his trademark celebration: Helmet off, arms outstretched before closing his eyes and putting a finger to his lips.
The landmark was even more special, as it was the first century by any batter against Australia in T20 World Cups.
Sri Lanka needed just two runs with 13 balls to spare and Rathnayake finished the job without any fuss in the next delivery, sweeping Adam Zampa to the deep backward square leg fence to trigger wild celebrations at a near-capacity Pallekele stadium in Kandy.
The night belonged to Nissanka -- the man who lit up the tournament with its first century and carried his team into the Super 8s in style.
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