T20 World Cup 2026: Sri Lanka Enter Super Eight With Eight-wicket Win, Almost Knock Australia Out

Pallekele: Sri Lanka outplayed Australia in a rather one-sided Group B encounter at the T20 World Cup 2026 on Monday, securing their place in the Super 8 stage. The Sri Lankans defeated the Kangaroos by 8 wickets. This defeat increases Australia's chances of being eliminated from the World Cup in the group stage.

What happened during the match?

In the crucial Group B match played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Monday (February 16), Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bowl first. This decision did not initially prove to be a wise one, as openers Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh launched a blistering attack from the outset. Travis Head smashed 56 runs off 29 balls, while Mitchell Marsh also made 54 runs off 27 balls at a strike rate of 200. Thanks to these two batsmen's brilliant innings, along with cameos from Josh Inglis and Glenn Maxwell, Australia were all out for 181 runs in their allotted 20 overs.

Chasing a target of 182, Sri Lanka got off to a poor start, losing Kusal Perera for 1 off 3 balls. However, Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka steadied the innings. Sri Lankan batsman Pathum Nissanka scored the first century of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Kusal Mendis scored 51 runs off 38 balls, and Pawan Ratnayake also made 28 to finish the match. Sri Lanka easily achieved the target of 182 runs with 18 overs remaining.

The Australian team, considered a strong contender for the title at the start of the tournament, has been thrown into further trouble with this defeat. Australia had already lost to Zimbabwe in their previous match and are third in the group standings. Sri Lanka has qualified for the Super 8. Australia will need to win their next match, and they will now also have to depend on a Zimbabwe win.

How did Australian batters perform?

Electing to bat first, Australia got off to a brilliant start. Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh shared a century partnership for the first wicket. The first blow came in the 9th over at the score of 104. But after that, Australia's weakness was exposed. The team could only manage 181 runs in 20 overs. Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head scored the most runs for Australia. Head scored 56 runs, while Marsh scored 54 runs.

How about the points table?

Both teams are part of Group B. Sri Lanka has won three out of three matches played so far and is at the top of the points table. Sri Lanka has also qualified for the Super 8. Zimbabwe is in second place, having also won both of its matches. Zimbabwe also defeated Australia. Meanwhile, Australia has won only one of its three matches and is in third place. Ireland and Oman are in fourth and fifth place.

Why are Australia's hopes almost over?

Australia now has one match remaining in the group stage. However, Zimbabwe has two. If Zimbabwe wins even one of its two matches, it will qualify as it will have six points and a better net run rate than Australia. Australia, meanwhile, has one match left, and even if it wins, it will have to pray that Zimbabwe loses both of its matches by a large margin. Until a few weeks ago, Australia was considered a strong contender for the title, but the defeat against Zimbabwe completely changed the dynamics of Group B.