Sri Lanka produced a dramatic battle against Australia in their t20 world cup 2026 encounter, but it was Pathum NissankaTremendous catch which made headlines. Great effort in the 17th over and not just got out glen maxwell But it also marks Sri Lanka’s remarkable turnaround after Australia’s poor start. With Australia eyeing a score of over 200, Nissanka’s athletic brilliance decisively shifted the momentum in Sri Lanka’s favour.
Pathum Nissanka takes a blinder to remove Glenn Maxwell
This moment came on the very first ball of the 17th over. Dushan Hemantha Bowled one out, tempting Maxwell to bowl his trademark reverse sweep. Maxwell hit it flat and hard towards backward point, and for a second it looked destined to race to the boundary.
But Nissanka had different ideas. Positioned at backward point, the Sri Lankan opening batsman executed his jump to perfection, leaping above his head to catch the ball cleanly. Despite losing balance and falling to the turf, he showed incredible composure to maintain control as he landed on the ground.
It was redemption in style. Earlier in the innings, Nissanka had given away an easy chance. This time, however, he saved one of the toughest chances of the night – and Maxwell’s departure proved to be a major turning point.
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Australia’s two opposite innings
led the initial attack Michelle Marsh And travis head Left Sri Lanka struggling in the beginning. Both of them took their team to 70 runs in the powerplay and made a fluent partnership of 100 runs. A mammoth score of 220-240 for 100 runs in just 8.2 overs seemed within reach.
Head, playing with trademark aggression, scored 56 runs, while Marsh contributed 54 runs. His clean striking took Australia to 110/2 after 10 overs. But the tables turned dramatically in the second half. After Head left, Australia lost direction. Marsh came in soon after and the middle order faltered under increasing pressure from Sri Lanka’s spinners. Australia slipped from a strong position into a worrying situation and lost four wickets for just 26 runs.
maxwell and josh inglis Tried to stabilize the innings, but the pace had dropped considerably. Sri Lanka’s bowlers held their ground, varied their pace cleverly and took wickets. The star with the ball was Hemantha, who took three important wickets. His clever variation and calm execution in the middle overs played a vital role in pulling Australia back. Australia were eventually all out for 181 runs in their 20 overs – a total that seemed modest given their position at the halfway stage.