AUS vs SL, T20 World Cup 2026: Australia left on brink of elimination after loss to Sri Lanka

The Australian cricket team was left on the brink of elimination from the T20 World Cup 2026 after losing its third Group B match by eight wickets against Sri Lanka at the Pallekele Stadium in Kandy on Monday.

The win qualified tournament co-hosts Sri Lanka, eighth in ICC T20I rankings, for the Super 8 stage, while Australia’s hopes of progressing were dealt a heavy blow after the loss.

World No. 2 Australia, who succumbed to a shock defeat against Zimbabwe last week, will face Oman in their final group game on Saturday, but their bid for the Super 8 could end before the match starts if the Chevrons beat Ireland on Tuesday.

Pathum Nissanka (100 not out off 52 balls) starred with the bat to help Sri Lanka chase down a total of 181 set by Australia and register the highest T20I chase at home. Dushan Hemantha shone with the ball for the home side, finishing with figures of 3/37.

Chasing 182 to win, Sri Lanka suffered an early setback as Marcus Stoinis dismissed Kusal Perera in the second over.

Unfazed, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis then joined forces to launch a counterattack that propelled Sri Lanka to 61/1 at the end of the powerplay.

The Sri Lankan pair kept the scoreboard ticking at a brisk rate with Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis both raising their fifties in the 12th over to tighten Sri Lanka’s grip on the chase before the latter perished in the very next over.

Kusal Mendis’ dismissal, though, did little to alter the eventual outcome of the game as Pathum Nissanka, with help from Pavan Rathnayake at the other end, continued to deposit the Australian bowlers to all corners of the stadium.

Nissanka went on to bring up his hundred - his second century in the T20Is - in 52 balls, while Pavan Rathnayake smashed a four to hit the winning runs.

Earlier, after being sent in to bat, Australia exploded out of the blocks as openers Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head launched a ferocious assault from the outset.

Captain Mitchell Marsh was returning to the playing XI after missing Australia’s first two matches due to a groin injury he suffered during training.

Making full use of the fielding restrictions, the pair feasted on the Sri Lankan bowlers, racing to 50 inside five overs before skipper Marsh hammered five consecutive fours in the sixth over to propel Australia to 70/0 at the end of the powerplay.

After the powerplay, Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head maintained the relentless pressure on the Sri Lankan attack with the latter smashing a six to bring up Australia’s 100 in the ninth over, having reached his fifty off just 27 balls in the previous over.

However, the dismissal of Travis Head moments later sparked a mini-collapse as Cameron Green, Mitchell Marsh - who struck a brisk 54 off 27 balls - and Tim David, all fell in the space of just 26 runs, leaving Australia on 130/4 after 12.4 overs.

A brief recovery followed as Josh Inglis and Glenn Maxwell added 30 for the fifth wicket, but both batters were dismissed in quick succession to leave Australia wobbling at 174/6 after 17.5 overs.

Their innings then fizzled out with Australia managing just seven runs in lieu of their final four wickets as the Sri Lanka bowlers clawed their way back into the contest. Dushan Hemantha led the bowling effort for the co-hosts.

Click here to read article