Australia vs Sri Lanka Highlights, T20 World Cup 2026: Nissanka’s ton, Hemantha’s three wickets power SL to 8-wicket win vs AUS

Now that the Australians have lost two consecutive games in this World Cup, check all the scenarios in Group B

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Glenn Maxwell is brought into the attack. FOUR! Shuffles across, only to bring out the slogsweep for a boundary at deep mid-wicket. CHANCE! Stumping chance for Inglis. but Rathnayake has some part of his leg behind the crease. FOUR! Misery for Australia as Rathanayake gets beaten with a delivery that also beats Inglis and it runs for a four. 150 up for Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka: 151/2 in 16 overs

Glenn Maxwell is in the attack, hoping to break the partnership. Both Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis reach their fifties in this over. First Nissanka with a single off the first delivery, followed by Mendis off the fifth delivery, reach their milestones.

Sri Lanka: 104/1 in 12 overs

Adam Zampa continues. No boundaries in this over, still a productive over for Sri Lanka as they get eight from this. The asking rate is below 9, while the scoring rate is just above 9 at the moment.

Sri Lanka: 93/1 in 10 overs

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa comes into the attack for the first time tonight. FOUR! Kusal Mendis welcomes him with a boundary. Short in middle from Zampa, easy pickings for Mendis, who switches to backfoot and slams the pull at cow corner for a boundary to start the over. He gets a single off the next delivery. Nissanka puts him back. FOUR! Slow again, short and pulled away at deep mid-wicket.

Sri Lanka: 66/1 in 7 overs

Nissanka and Mendis continue to charge and get the most of the PowerPlay as they take 13 off Stoinis' over with THREE FOURS shared between them. This has been a brilliant reply from Sri Lanka in a chase of 182.

Sri Lanka: 61/1 in 6 overs

Nathan Ellis continues. Nissanka starts with a single before Kusal Mendis plays a couple of dots. SIX! Mendis using his wrist on this occasion. A very similar shot, almost a replica of Nissanka's shovel, which the latter played in the opening over. Same result in the same direction. Nine from this over.

Sri Lanka: 35/1 in 4 overs

Marcus Stoinis into the attack from the other end. OUT! Perera falls after scoring just one. Short ball does the trick for Stoinis as Perera mishits his upper cut to find Ellis at deep backward point. Kusal perishes, Kusal comes in, Kusal Mendis is the new batter in the middle. He is off the mark with a single as four come from this over.

Kusal Perera c Nathan Ellis b Marcus Stoinis 1(3)

Sri Lanka: 12/1 in 2 overs

Alright then. We are back, and so are the Sri Lankan openers and the Australian team in the middle. Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera open for the host in the chase of 183.

Maheesh Theekshana to bowl the 19th over. OUT! One more! Cooper Connolly goes down on knees, plays slog sweep but the ball balloons over the keeper, and Kusal Perera runs from short third man and dives to complete the catch. Xavier Bartlett is the new batter. Theekshana looks to york him out, ends up bowling three dots to end a terrefic over which gives AUS just two from it.

Cooper Connolly c Kusal Perera b Maheesh Theekshana 3(4)

Australia: 177/7 in 19 overs

Dushan Hemantha to finish his quota in this over. OUT! What a catch by Pathum Nissanka! Glenn Maxwell has to walk back. What a comeback! An absolute blinder from Nissanka! He drops what appeared to be a straightforward catch in the previous over and grabs a heck of a catch. Perhaps the best one of the tournament thus far. Maxwell goes for a reverse sweep but finds a flying Nissanka at the backward point, who makes up for the dropped catch. Marcus Stoinis joins Inglis. Gets off the mark with a single with a reverse lap. Inglis hits a FOUR, making it an 8-run over.

Australia: 168/5 in 17 overs

Kamindu Mendis continues. Glenn Maxwell uses his long handle and hits Mendis for a SIX over long-on before clearing the in-field to get a FOUR at long-off. He gets a two off the following delivery, bringing up 150 for Australia in the 15th over. Good over for Australia as 15 comes from this.

Australia: 151/4 in 15 overs

Kamindu Mendis comes into the attack. OUT! Make it four wickets in the last five overs for Sri Lanka. A tossed-up delivery from Kamindu, David sweeps across the line, only to find Dushan Hemantha at long-off. Glenn Maxwell is the new man to join Inglis. Just four from the over.

Tim David c Hemantha b Kamindu Mendis 6(5)

Australia: 131/4 in 13 overs

Dushan Hemantha is with his third over. FOUR! Slams one at mid-wicket to complete his half-century. It has truly been a captain's knock from Marsh. OUT! Marsh departs! Length ball, pitches in the middle, and it keeps straight as well to beat Mitch Marsh's frontfoot defence to go through between bat and pad. It's very close, but the umpire is not convinced. Sri Lanka review this one and gets it overturned to find a third wicket in the third straight over. Big scalp as dangerman Marsh has to go back. Josh Inglis is the new batter in. BIG CHANCE MISSED! Mendis has the stumping chance but he fumbles it big time. Could have been four wickets. Not to be this time. Seven from the over.

Mitchell Marsh lbw b Hemantha 54(27)

Australia: 117/3 in 11 overs

Dushan Hemantha continues. Marsh gets a single off the first ball. SIX! Tossed up from Hemantha and Head puts into the stands over long-on. 100 up for Australia. OUT! Finally, some reprieve for the hosts. Head departs after finding Kamindu Mendis at long-off. Cam Green is the new man in. He plays a couple of dots before getting off the mark with a single. Eight from this over.

Travis Head c Kamindu Mendis b Hemantha 56(29)

Australia: 105/1 in 9 overs

Dushan Hemantha is in the attack now. The batters are taking turns to demolish the Sri Lankan bowlers. Travis Head plays out the over, hitting a SIX and then a FOUR, taking a total of 14 off Hemantha's first over.

Australia: 84/0 in 7 overs

Dasun Shanaka, after bowling two balls to complete Pathirana's incomplete over, comes for his first full over. SIX! He is welcomed with a maximum by Travis Head. Short on leg and clobbered over deep mid-wicket by Head's confident pull. FOUR! He is in no mood to stop anytime soon tonight. Leg-cutter from Shanaka and Head places it over the extra cover fence for a boundary. Two singles take Australia to 50 inside five overs.

Australia: 50/0 in 5 overs

Matheesha Pathirana replaces Chameera from his end. After bowling five deliveries, which also includes a WIDE, he grabs his left hamstring in the follow-through and is down on the ground. The physios are out in the middle as a worried bowling coach, Lasith Malinga, watches on from the dug-out. He has been taken out of the field, and it's not looking good for the host nation as the physios help Pathirana walk out. Skipper Dasun Shanka will complete the over. FOUR! Head pounces on the first delivery of Shanaka and cuts the short ball through point. Seven runs from this over.

Australia: 32/0 in 3 overs

Dusmantha Chameera starts over the wickets. Mitch Marsh has the strike. An outswinger to start. Marsh defends off backfoot to start with a dot. FOUR! And off he goes! Back-of-the-length delivery on off, width on offer for Marsh, and he pounces on it to punch it at backward point to get off the mark with a boundary. A single follows. FOUR! A boundary to start for Travis Head as well. Short of length, shaping in for the left-hander, Head flicks it off in style over mid-off. A single to follow again. SIX! Pumped over mid-wicket and Marsh announces his return in style. 16 off the opening over.

Australia: 16/0 in 1 over

Australia have lost three of their last four matches at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, with each of the four matches won by the team batting first on the day; in fact, Australia have been unsuccessful in their last three run chases at the tournament after failing only once across their previous 12 chases.

(Stats via Opta)

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis(w), Pavan Rathnayake, Dasun Shanaka(c), Kamindu Mendis, Dushan Hemantha, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana.

Australia (Playing XI): Mitchell Marsh(c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Tim David, Josh Inglis(w), Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Cooper Connolly, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa.

Not just ‘one bad day’, Australia haven’t really warmed up to T20 cricket

On a sunny Colombo afternoon, Zimbabwe etched a famous moment in their cricket history, one that holds the potential to change the game’s appeal and reach in the country. They thrashed—not scraped or edged—the absolute cricketing royalty in world cricket, Australia. The former world champions are injury-ridden, form-affected, and do not boss the format as much as they do the longer versions. But historically, they are skilled at negotiating bumps and hurdles. Like leopards, the kangaroos don’t change their stripes.

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“We were hopeful Josh would be back to match fitness by the Super 8 stage, but the latest indications he is still some time away, and accelerating his program will carry too much risk,” selector Tony Dodemaide said.

Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara/Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dushan Hemantha, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana.

Australia: Josh Inglis (wk), Travis Head (c), Cameron Green, Tim David, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Marsh, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Steven Smith (replacement for Josh Hazlewood).

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Dasun Shanaka (c), Kamindu Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Dushan Hemantha, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka, Pramod Madushan, Janith Liyanage.