Sri Lanka continued their impressive start to the T20 World Cup 2026 by beating Oman by 105 runs and building confidence ahead of their match against Australia. Mendis and Rathnayake scored half-centuries, while captain Dasun Shanaka smashed a record-breaking fifty to guide Sri Lanka to a huge total of 225 runs.
Oman struggled to chase the target, losing wickets regularly and making mistakes, finishing with just 120 in 20 overs. This defeat puts them close to leaving the tournament early, after losing their first match to Zimbabwe. Oman won the toss on a cloudy day in Pallekele, but that was their only bright moment.
Sri Lanka lost Kamil Mishara early in the second over, but Kusal Mendis came in and hit a few boundaries to take control. Oman made a poor decision to take a review that clearly had little chance of success, which even the commentators found surprising. Mendis and Pathum Nissanka then built a good partnership and scored quickly.
Jatinder made up for his earlier mistake by taking a smart review that got Nissanka out. When Oman were 42 for 2 in 5.1 overs, they still had some hope. But Pavan Rathnayake batted aggressively and quickly took control, leaving Oman with no chance.
Rathnayake Shines Under Pressure
“I played my normal game, so I enjoyed it. I played my normal game and I am very happy. Today we just finished it. From my point, we tried to give the boost and also in the end, we needed boundaries. We just followed it and stayed.”
Rathnayake played a key role in Sri Lanka’s win on Thursday, hitting three boundaries in his first four balls. He and Kusal Mendis batted smartly and helped Sri Lanka score 96 in 10 overs, taking advantage of Oman’s loose bowling.
Once they realised that Oman’s bowling wasn’t posing much of a threat, Rathnayake shifted gears. He scored his first T20I fifty in just 24 balls and then began dominating the bowlers. Trying to score even faster, he eventually got out, but his innings gave Sri Lanka a big boost going into the crucial stage of the tournament.
He built a 94-run stand with Mendis to put Sri Lanka firmly in control. When Oman tried to fight back, Dasun Shanaka stepped in and maintained the momentum. Under pressure over his form after replacing Charith Asalanka, the captain silenced critics with the fastest T20I fifty by a Sri Lankan.
Taking advantage of Oman’s poor bowling, Shanaka scored a fifty in just 19 balls to give Sri Lanka a strong finish. Even though he and Kusal Mendis got out soon after, Wellalage and Kamindu Mendis finished the innings well.
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