Sri Lanka has qualified for the Super 8. The co-hosts have remained unbeaten in the T20 World Cup 2026 after completing a successful record-breaking chase against Australia at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Pathum Nissanka led the way with the first hundred of the tournament, as Sri Lanka hunted down 182. No team had managed to chase down over 180 in Pallekele.
After opting to bowl first, Sri Lanka were way behind in the game. After 8 overs, Australia was 97/0. From there, Lanka flipped the game on its head. In the next 12 overs, Australia scored just 84 runs and lost 10 wickets. This meant that Dasun Shanaka’s team had the opportunity to chase the target down on what was a good batting track.
Highest successful chase at Pallekele in T20Is
| Team | Score | Target | Opposition | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | 184/2 | 182 | Australia | 16 Feb 2026 |
| Sri Lanka | 177/6 | 177 | Australia | 11 Jun 2022 |
| Pakistan | 178/2 | 176 | Bangladesh | 25 Sep 2012 |
| New Zealand | 175/5 | 175 | Sri Lanka | 1 Sep 2019 |
| England | 173/4 | 168 | Sri Lanka | 1 Feb 2026 |
Despite an early wicket, Sri Lanka chased down the target in 18 overs. Nissanka starred with an unbeaten 52-ball hundred, but Kusal Mendis and Pavan Rathnayake were exceptional as well. The diminutive opener started hitting it out of the park in the 3rd over and didn’t stop until Sri Lanka won.
Sri Lanka are pre-seeded in Group 2 of the Super 8. Irrespective of where they finish, they’ll face England, New Zealand and Pakistan. However, Australia is in big trouble. Mitchell Marsh’s team has just one game left and are behind Zimbabwe. If Zimbabwe win one of their next two matches, they’ll be knocked out.
T20 World Cup 2026 Points Table: Group B
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Points | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sri Lanka (Q) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | +2.462 |
| 2 | Zimbabwe | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | +1.984 |
| 3 | Australia | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | +0.414 |
| 4 | Ireland | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0.150 |
| 5 | Oman (E) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -4.546 |
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