Pallekele, February 17: Sri Lanka caused a major upset in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 by defeating Australia by 8 wickets on Sunday. With this victory, Sri Lanka secured a spot in the ‘Super-8’ stage after their third consecutive win.
In their opening match, Sri Lanka had beaten Ireland by 20 runs, followed by a significant 105-run victory over Oman. Meanwhile, Australia, after winning against Ireland by 67 runs, faced a setback against Zimbabwe, losing by 23 runs. This marks Australia’s second consecutive upset in the tournament.
Batting first after losing the toss at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Australia was restricted to 181 runs. The opening pair of Travis Head and captain Mitchell Marsh provided a strong start, putting together a partnership of 104 runs in just 8.3 overs. Head scored 56 runs off 29 balls, hitting 3 sixes and 7 fours, while Marsh contributed 54 runs from 27 balls with 10 boundaries.
In addition, Josh Inglis scored 27 runs off 22 balls, and Glenn Maxwell added 22 runs to the team’s total. For Sri Lanka, Dushmantha Chameera took 2 wickets, while Dushan Hemanta was the standout bowler with 3 wickets.
In response, Sri Lanka chased down the target in 18 overs. They lost Kusal Perera early for just 1 run, but Pathum Nissanka steadied the innings with a 66-run partnership with Kusal Mendis, scoring 97 runs off 66 balls. Mendis fell for 51 runs, but Nissanka continued to lead the charge, forming an unbeaten 79-run partnership with Pawan Ratnayake to secure a convincing victory. Marcus Stoinis was the only successful bowler for Australia, claiming 2 wickets for 46 runs.
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