Pathum Nissanka is not the first name that springs to mind when listing the most feared opening batters in modern T20 cricket. The 27-year-old is neither a marauding six-hitter nor a relentless innovator constantly unveiling new strokes. In many ways, he is a throwback – a classical touch player who owns every shot in the book and prefers timing and placement over brute force.
On Monday, in a crunch encounter against Australia, Nissanka brought those attributes to the fore in emphatic fashion. The opener, introduced to cricket by his grandfather and educated at the same school as Tillakaratne Dilshan, carved his way to an unbeaten 100 off 52 balls. His innings powered Sri Lanka to an eight-wicket win and secured their place in the Super Eights, while taking Australia’s fate out of their own hands.
Chasing 182 runs for victory, Sri Lanka needed composure as much as firepower. After Kusal Perera’s early dismissal, Nissanka found an able partner in Kusal Mendis. The pair combined caution with calculated aggression to rebuild the innings. They denied Australia further breakthroughs, handling the pace attack confidently and negotiating the spin trio of Adam Zampa, Cooper Connolly and Glenn Maxwell with assurance.
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While Nissanka’s front-foot drives were crisp, it was his back-foot play that stood out. Quick to rock back, he pulled both pacers and spinners with authority and used the sweep to disrupt the spinners’ rhythm. His tempo rarely dipped, as he kept the required rate in check.
Pathum Nissanka became the first centurion of T20 World Cup 2026. (PHOTO: AP)
Both batters brought up their half-centuries in the 12th over, but just as the partnership threatened to take the game away entirely, Mendis fell to Marcus Stoinis in the 13th over, ending a 97-run stand.
Nissanka, however, showed no signs of retreat. In the company of Pavan Rathnayake, he guided Sri Lanka home with controlled assurance.
Hemantha shines
Dushan Hemantha could have been forgiven for carrying scars into Monday night. His T20I return against Oman on Thursday had been underwhelming, as he went for 45 runs in his four overs claiming just one wicket. Drafted in as a replacement for the injured Wanindu Hasaranga, he came into the Australia game under scrutiny. By the end of the evening, he had become the difference.
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Introduced immediately after the Powerplay, with Australia flying at 74/0, Hemantha walked into a storm. Travis Head, already in full flow, greeted him with disdain – a towering six over long-on and an inside-out shot for four greeting him in his first over.
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Things looked ominous for Hemantha, but what followed was a study in nerve. Off the third ball of the ninth over, the leg-spinner pushed the ball wider, inviting the big shot. Head obliged but this time the connection wasn’t clean, as the left-hander was sent back for 56 to end a 104-run opening-wicket stand with Mitchell Marsh.
The breakthrough triggered a collapse. A couple of overs later, Hemantha beat Marsh in the air, and the Australian captain was struck on the back leg and trapped right in front for 54.
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Hemantha later returned to claim Glenn Maxwell, but had Nissanka to thank. Maxwell reverse-swept flat towards backward point, seemingly clearing the infield. Nissanka backtracked, timed his leap perfectly and plucked it overhead, tumbling to the ground but holding on.
From 104/0, Australia unravelled to 181 all out. What had seemed a daunting total in the making was reduced to an achievable chase.
Brief Scores: Australia 181 all out in 20 overs (Head 56, Marsh 54; Dushan Hemantha 3/37) lost to Sri Lanka 184/2 in 18 overs (Pathum Nissanka 100 not out, Kusal Mendis 51) by 8 wickets.
