AUS vs SL highlights, T20 World Cup 2026: Sri Lanka beat Australia by 8 wickets to enter Super Eight

Dunith Wellalage to Mitchell Marsh, A touch short and slower through the air, outside off, Marsh stands tall and smashes it away, but straight to the cover fielder.

Dunith Wellalage to Travis Head, 27-BALL FIFTY FOR TRAVIS HEAD! His 6th in T20Is and a third in World Cups. Gets there with a drive through mid off for a run. 7 fours and two sixes in his knock and he raises his bat but he knows, the job has just begun.

Dunith Wellalage to Mitchell Marsh, Shorter in length, outside off, Marsh punches it through the covers for a single.

Dunith Wellalage to Mitchell Marsh, FOUR! BEAUTY! Tossed up, outside off, gentle half volley, Mitchell Marsh leans and drives it gorgeously through the covers for a boundary.

4 on the trot for Theekshana? Nope. Dunith Wellalage gets the ball in his hand now.

Dushan Hemantha to Travis Head, From around the stumps, on a length, outside off, Head punches it off the back foot to extra cover, where the fielder slides to his left and cuts it off.

Dushan Hemantha to Travis Head, FOUR! Unstoppable! A googly, but too full and on middle, Travis Head crunches it over extra cover for a cracking boundary.

Dushan Hemantha to Travis Head, SIX! The fielder can only watch it sail over! The leg break from Dushan, full and on the stumps. Travis Head finds the ball in his wheelhouse and slog sweeps it powerfully behind cow corner for half a dozen runs.

Dushan Hemantha to Travis Head, Excellent work by Pathum Nissanka. Full, down the leg side, Travis gets down and sweeps it through square leg. Nissanka charges to his right from deep square leg, dives full stretch and parries it to the fielder from deep mid-wicket. Keeps the batters to a couple of runs.

Dushan Hemantha to Travis Head, Full again, this time the cover drive is intercepted.

Dushan Hemantha to Travis Head, Full, outside off, 86 kph to start, Travis Head leans and drives it through the covers. Should have been just a single but the fielder in the deep did not pick it up at all and started to run after the batters had crossed each other at the halfway. The second is completed with ease.

DRINKS BREAK. 12 fours and 2 sixes in 36 balls. That's roughly a boundary every 3 balls. A mathematic demonstration of Australia's assault so far. The good thing from their point of view is that not too many shots have been played in anger. The Lankans have not bowled the right lines or lengths but from their point of view, the good thing is, the balls have started to stop and come onto the bat. So they will look for a breakthrough here and then put pressure on the new batters, much like how Zimbabwe did the other day. Dushan Hemantha has been given the ball now.

Maheesh Theekshana to Mitchell Marsh, FOUR! Easily, the shot of the match so far! 5 boundaries in a row for the Big Bison. A juicy half volley around the off pole, Mitchell Marsh gets on the front foot and spectacularly carves it through the cover region for a boundary. No one could move a muscle. Australia end their Powerplay at 70/0!

Maheesh Theekshana to Mitchell Marsh, FOUR! Wham, bam, slam! Theekshana targets the middle stump, on a fuller length, Mitchell Marsh gets down on his knee and mows it through deep backward square leg for a boundary.

Maheesh Theekshana to Mitchell Marsh, FOUR! Mayhem in Pallekele! Maheesh goes full and outside off, the off spinner. Mitchell Marsh slices it over the cover-point region and the ball races away.

Maheesh Theekshana to Mitchell Marsh, FOUR MORE! Almost a carbon copy of the previous shot. Theekshana keeps the line outside off but the length is a touch short. It comes back into the batter but the skipper manages to make some room and punch it through the covers for successive boundaries.

Maheesh Theekshana to Mitchell Marsh, FOUR! Nice shot. Perhaps the carrom ball, outside off, because it skids on after pitching. Yes, the replay confirms. Marsh goes back and then, bringing his weight through the shot nicely, leans and punches it through covers for a boundary.

Maheesh Theekshana to Mitchell Marsh, Full, outside off, Mitchell Marsh hammers it down the ground but cannot beat mid off as the fielder quickly gets across to his right.

Final over of the Powerplay.

Dasun Shanaka to Mitchell Marsh, This one holds on the surface a touch, on a good length. Marsh bunts it in front of mid on for a quick run. 12 runs from the over. 50 UP FOR AUSTRALIA!

Dasun Shanaka to Mitchell Marsh, Fuller and around off, at 128.7 kph, nipping back in. Mitchell Marsh attempts to go up and over the in-field on the off side, but gets a fat inside edge. The ball deflects onto the pads and rolls to short third.

Dasun Shanaka to Travis Head, On a hard length, on middle, Travis Head tries to wham that over long on, but mistimes off the inner half to long on for a single.

Dasun Shanaka to Travis Head, FOUR! Wonderful exhibition of aggressive batting! Slows it up, does Dasun. On a length, outside off, Travis Head expands his arms wide open and smashes it through the cover and point gap for a boundary.

Dasun Shanaka to Travis Head, Much fuller, on off, carved away to cover.

Dasun Shanaka to Travis Head, SIX! OUTTA HERE! A gentle-paced delivery, short and on leg, arriving at chest height of the batter. Easy pickings for Head as he swivels and cracks the pull shot enormously behind deep square leg for a six.

Suspect Shanaka will bowl again in the Powerplay. Proved wrong.

Maheesh Theekshana to Mitchell Marsh, Ooohhh... lucky escape. Outside off, the balls have started to hold on the surface a bit more frequently now. Marsh went for the cut but played early and got a massive inside edge, which missed the stumps!

Maheesh Theekshana to Travis Head, On middle, pretty straight, Travis pushes it towards long on for a run. 'Bowl Machaa, bowling!' chides Kusal Mendis, the keeper.

Maheesh Theekshana to Travis Head, Outside off, pushed towards mid off.

Maheesh Theekshana to Travis Head, FOUR! CREAMED! Full, outside off, Travis Head gets down on a knee and slog sweeps it to the left of mid on for a boundary!

Maheesh Theekshana to Travis Head, Landed outside off, short in length, 92.5 kph, Travis Head goes back to cut but the ball stops and arrives. As a result, there is a bottom edge and the call comes from Head - 'Wait there, Mitch, No.'

Maheesh Theekshana to Mitchell Marsh, Full, outside off, 95.4 kph, Mitchell Marsh leans and eases this past the diving short cover to his right, for a single to the left of mid off.

That's one bowler possibly short pretty early. But we all know what happens to Sri Lankans when they are a bowler short. Ireland can vouch for that. Only, don't think that Pathirana can bowl on one leg here. But the hosts have their bases covered.

Dasun Shanaka to Travis Head, Around the stump. This is bashed on a length, angling into the bodyline, Travis Head tries to nudge it around the corner, but misses and the ball grazes his thigh pad before rolling toward short fine leg. Marsh sniffs a run, but Head is quick to deny.

Dasun Shanaka to Travis Head, FOUR! That went like a tracer bullet! Marginally short, on top of middle, Travis Head makes room for himself by staying leg side and nails the square cut between cover and backward point for a cracking boundary.

Oh dear. Matheesha Pathirana has gone down in his followthrough. He is clutching his knees and hamstring and Angelo Mathews on air suspects that it is a hamstring issue. It looks very bad and the physio is out in the middle. Doesn't look like Pathirana can continue. At least for now. And PATHIRANA IS HOBBLING OFF THE FIELD. Dasun Shanaka will complete the pending over.

Matheesha Pathirana to Mitchell Marsh, Good effort! A touch fuller than the previous ball. On a length, outside off, Marsh presses back, lets his hands through the shot toward widish mid off. The fielder there dives to his left, makes a half stop and the ball is parried to the cover fielder who charges to his right in the ring. They get a single.

Matheesha Pathirana to Travis Head, On middle, on a hard length, Head waits on the back foot, and steers it to deep backward point for a run.

Matheesha Pathirana to Travis Head, At 132.5 kph, on a good length, on leg, Travis hops and nudges it to mid-wicket with soft hands.

Matheesha Pathirana to Travis Head, WIDE! At pace this time around, but a bit too wide and beyond the tramline, outside off. Head ignores. Wide called.

Matheesha Pathirana to Travis Head, BEATEN! Pace off immediately by Pathirana, full and outside off, Travis Head throws his bat at it, trying to smash through covers, but misses to connect.

One-over spells? Absolutely. Here's Matheesha Pathirana.

Maheesh Theekshana to Mitchell Marsh, Short, outside off, punched towards mid off.

Maheesh Theekshana to Travis Head, A misfield now. Outside off, Travis punches it straight to backward point who fumbles and Head's loud 'NOOO!' turns into a single.

Maheesh Theekshana to Travis Head, FOUR MORE! Better shot this time. A touch short, outside off, Head rocks back and punches it between point and cover, for consecutive boundaries.

Maheesh Theekshana to Travis Head, EDGED, FOUR! Tossed up, slightly wide outside off, pretty full, Travis Head gets down on a knee and looks to play his favourite slog sweep. But it is a slower ball, around 96 kph and the batter is early into his shot. Gets a massive top edge which flies over the vacant slip region to the deep third fence!

Maheesh Theekshana to Travis Head, The carrom ball, on middle, Head looks to punch but is cramped for room and mistimes it back to the bowler.