Dasun Shanaka-led Sri Lanka defeated Australia in Pallekele to book a place in the Super 8 during the T20 World Cup 2026. After the win, head coach Sanath Jayasuriya said that two former coaches of the Indian team, R. Sridhar and Vikram Rathore played important roles behind the team’s excellent performance.
Sri Lanka recorded an eight-wicket win over Australia in Pallekele on Monday, 17 February. After failing to get past the group stage in the last two tournaments, Sri Lanka recorded a spectacular win on the big stage. They bowled out Australia for 181 and achieved the target with two overs to spare.
The 2021 champions suffered their second defeat in three matches. Australia are on the brink of elimination as they will be eliminated if Zimbabwe beats Ireland in their third Group B match on Tuesday, February 17.
Vikram and Sridhar were really good – Sanath Jayasuriya
Sanath Jayasuriya said that R Sridhar and Vikram Rathore played important roles through focused training and clear planning. Jayasuriya said his work in practice improved Sri Lanka’s fielding standards and batting confidence, which made a big difference on match day.
Sanath Jayasuriya said, “R Sridhar is our fielding coach, he is from India and Vikram (Rathore) is our batting coach. Both of them are really good gentlemen. We do whatever we want to do in practice, which is really good for the fielding.”
“With his IPL experience, he is working very well with the players and has a good rapport. We have given a lot of confidence to the batsmen. Sometimes, as coaches, we can get frustrated with the batting unit, but still we gave confidence to the players. Vikram and Sridhar were really good,” he said.
We wanted to send a message – Sanath Jayasuriya
Sanath Jayasuriya revealed that Sri Lanka focused on smart bowling plans to unsettle Australia. He said that the pitch provided some grip, making it difficult for the batsmen to play aggressive shots. He also admitted that Mathisha Pathirana’s early injury was a blow.
“I think we wanted to send the message of changing the pace and taking it as slow as possible, and the wicket was holding a bit, which we wanted to maximize. So I think Mahesh Theekshana, they all bowled well.”
Jayasuriya concluded, “We had a very bad situation with Mathisha Pathirana. But I think after the first few overs we came back really well. Mahesh came back and bowled three overs. So that was important. The bowlers did a great job.”
Sri Lanka defeated Australia with all-round performance
Sri Lanka made a strong comeback and defeated Australia. After conceding 100 runs in the first eight overs, they slowed down the game with spin. Even after losing Mathisha Pathirana due to a hamstring injury, the bowlers restricted Australia to 181 runs in 20 overs.
Travis Head (56) and Mitchell Marsh (54) added 104 runs for the first wicket in 8.3 overs. However, Sri Lanka hit back in the latter stages. Dushan Hemantha (3/37) and Dushmantha Chami (2/36) broke the momentum and applied pressure.
Chasing the target, Pathum Nissanka played a match-winning innings and scored a brilliant century in 52 balls, ending the game in 18 overs. Kusal Mendis (51) and Pawan Rathnayake (28*) supported him by making important contributions.
Sri Lanka have now lost Wanindu Hasaranga and Pathirana to injuries and will hope to overcome these setbacks as they enter the next round of this marquee tournament.
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