CRICKET – PATHUM Nissanka made an unbeaten century as Sri Lanka chased down a target of 182 to beat Australia by eight wickets and reach the Twenty20 World Cup’s Super Eight stage yesterday, leaving their opponents on the brink of a humiliating early exit.
Nissanka, who finished with exactly 100 runs, led the way and his second-wicket partnership of 97 runs with Kusal Mendis laid the foundations for Sri Lanka’s third straight Group B win.
Australia, former champions who lost their last match to Zimbabwe, must hope Ireland and Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe to have a shot at qualifying for the Super Eights with a top-two finish in the group before they play Oman on Friday.
Put in to bat first in Kandy, captain Marsh and Travis Head (56) got off to a fast start with a 104-run opening partnership inside nine overs.
Head completed his fifty in 27 balls, shortly before getting caught at wide long off looking to hit his fourth six, as Dushan Hemantha broke through for the co-hosts.
Hemantha (3-37) trapped Marsh (54) leg before wicket in his next over, and then dismissed Glenn Maxwell (22), whose reverse hit off a full toss was brilliantly caught by Nissanka with a backwards leap at backward point, leaving Australia at 160-5 in the 17th over.
Sri Lanka started well despite losing Kusal Perera early, as Nissanka and Mendis added 97 runs for the second wicket in 66 balls, until Mendis (51 off 38 balls) got caught trying to hit Marcus Stoinis (2-46) for a six.
An unbeaten fifty by Will Jacks and three-wicket hauls for Sam Curran and Jamie Overton steered England to a nervy 24-run win over Italy in the Twenty20 World Cup as the twice champions progressed to the Super Eight stage.
Afghanistan clung to their fading hopes of making the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup after Azmatullah Omarzai’s all-round brilliance fashioned their five-wicket victory against the United Arab Emirates in a Group D match.
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