Australia captain Mitchell Marsh admitted his side will be hoping for a favor from Ireland after Sri Lanka’s dominant victory left their 2026 World T20 campaign in the balance.
SL vs OFF: Complete Scorecard | Highlighting
Pathum Nissanka unsurpassed 100 pushed Sri Lanka into the Super 8s with an eight-wicket victory in Pallekele, while Australia’s qualification prospects now hinge on further results. If Zimbabwe beat Ireland, Australia could be knocked out at the group stage for the first time since 2009.
Marsh admitted that the situation is now out of their hands.
“I daresay we will all be watching,” he said at the post-match press conference ahead of the Zimbabwe-Ireland clash. “Luck of the Irish. Right now it’s out of my control, it’s out of our control, so we’ll wait and see.”
THE AUSSIES WERE LEFT WAITING FOR THE RESULTS
Australia started strongly against Sri Lanka. Marsh, returning from a groin injuryand Travis Head added 104 runs in just 51 deliveries. Head smashed 56 off 29 balls with three sixes and seven boundaries before falling at long-on.
However, once the spinners were introduced, the momentum shifted. Cameron Green was stumped for 3, Marsh was trapped lbw by Dushan Hemantha and Australia’s innings unraveled dramatically. From 151-4 after 15 overs, they collapsed to finish on 181 all out, losing 6 wickets for just 30 runs in the last five overs. Hemanth (3-37) and Dushmantha Chameera (3-36) led the batting.
Marsh acknowledged Sri Lanka’s dominance on the night, particularly Nissanka’s brilliance.
“He took his hat off to somebody when he scored 100 off 50 balls in a tight run in a World Cup match,” he said. “It was an unbelievable inning. We didn’t have a lot of answers for him tonight.”
NISSAN MASTER CLASS SEALS SRI LANKA SPOT
Sri Lanka chased confidently and rode on Nissanka’s flawless knock. He reached his century off 52 balls before Pavan Rathnayake completed the match with a landmark, sparking wild celebrations at the Pallekele International Stadium.
The win marked Sri Lanka’s third in a row and secured a place in the second round, two years after they failed to progress in the previous edition.
But for Australia, the equation is simple but uncomfortable – they must now rely on Ireland to upset Zimbabwe and keep their Super 8 dream alive.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
February 17, 2026