Australia on brink as Nissanka sends Sri Lanka through

Men’s T20 World Cup, Group B, Pallekele

Australia 181 all out (20 overs): Head 56 (29); Hemantha 3-37

Sri Lanka 184-2 (18 overs): Nissanka 100* (52), Kusal Mendis 51 (38)

Sri Lanka won by eight wickets

Scorecard. Tables

Australia’s hopes of reaching the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup are all but over after Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka hit a brilliant unbeaten 100 to condemn them to an eight-wicket defeat in Pallekele.

Stunned by Zimbabwe in their second outing on Friday, Australia needed a win to keep their qualification fate in their own hands but it is Sri Lanka who march into the next round.

For Australia to sneak through as the second-placed team from their group, they now need Zimbabwe to lose both of their remaining matches against Ireland and Sri Lanka and then to defeat Oman themselves which would bring net run-rate into play.

Australia’s predicament came from their inability to convert a good start from their openers Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh as they set the home side a target of 182 after a collapse in the second half of their innings.

Despite the feeling Sri Lanka could have a complicated chase on their hands because of a pitch which was slowing down, they eased to victory with the Australian bowling attack lacking any bite in the absence of injured Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.

And the Sri Lanka duo of Nissanka and Kusal Mendis took full advantage.

With wicketkeeper Mendis providing perfect support with a composed 51 from 38 balls, Nissanka brought up his century in 52 balls to take his side past the finish line with an innings that blended brute power and finesse.

Australia had Marsh return after recovering from a groin injury that forced him out of the first two matches and the returning skipper gave his side a solid platform batting alongside Head, who hit a long-overdue half-century off 27 balls.

They powered Australia to 104-0 in 8.2 overs before Head departed for 59 and it marked the beginning of dramatic downturn.

Marsh followed him shortly after with a brisk 54 as they unravelled alarmingly to be bundled out for 181, losing their final five wickets in the space of just seven runs and 14 balls.

With Sri Lanka chasing down the target with ease, the Australians are left clinging to only the slimmest mathematical hope and will watch nervously as Zimbabwe face Ireland on Tuesday.

It looked as though Sri Lanka’s chase of 182 might slip away early when Kusal Perera fell to Marcus Stoinis only eight balls in.

But it became clear almost immediately Nissanka was operating on an entirely different level in Pallekele, playing «an innings for the ages,» as Test Match Special commentator Daniel Norcross labelled it.

Nissanka raced to 38 off 20 balls to lift Sri Lanka to 61‑1 at the end of the powerplay.

Kusal Mendis then picked up the pace against Australia’s spinners, bringing up his third consecutive half-century of this T20 World Cup in 35 balls before Nissanka joined him, reaching his fifty in just 32 deliveries.

Australia would have hoped for a way back after Mendis departed in the 13th over with Sri Lanka on 105‑2, and though Pavan Rathnayake walked in, he only needed to play second fiddle to Nissanka, who effortlessly took Sri Lanka past the target.

The 27‑year‑old Sri Lanka opener was outstanding in manipulating the leg‑side field all game, scoring 26 runs through mid‑wicket and another 20 through square leg.

But he mixed brutal hitting with plenty of finesse too, guiding 15 runs down to third with some deft late cuts.

Adding extra sweetness to Nissanka’s day was an extraordinary catch he took to dismiss Glenn Maxwell and keep Australia at bay in the closing stages of their innings.

Having dropped Maxwell in the previous over, Nissanka more than made up for it with a brilliant flying catch at backward point to send back the Australia all-rounder, who had looked dangerous.

Though there will be concern for pacer Matheesha Pathirana, who walked off with an injury, Sri Lanka will fancy their chances of putting on a good show in the Super 8s and making it to the semi-finals, with both Nissanka and Mendis in good form.

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh: «I thought it was a competitive total at the halfway mark but with the start we had, maybe a few short. Well played to Sri Lanka.

«We know that at our best we can make big scores but we lost our way a little bit at the end and Sri Lanka bowled well. Not much more to say other than Sri Lanka outplayed us.

«It’s a devastated group. We are in the lap of gods now. We haven’t been at our best. We will watch the Zimbabwe vs Ireland game and hope.»

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka: «One of the best performances in the recent times. Really happy with how the proceedings went.

«We were still very positive after losing [Pathirana] in the powerplay. We had the confidence and knew about the wicket. Each and every one showed a good body language today. And everyone wanted to contribute somehow.

«We hope to continue like this in the tournament. It’s wonderful to qualify after many years. It’s a good team. We should go to the next round and hopefully make to the semis. Thanks to the massive crowd today.»