4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Feb 26, 2026 12:13 AM IST Pathum Nissanka’s unbeaten hundred to send Australia out of the World Cup may be only nine days old. Yet somehow, it feels so long ago that it will barely get a mention as the co-hosts undertake the difficult task of self-appraisal after becoming the first team to be knocked out of the ICC T20 World Cup Super 8s. On Wednesday against New Zealand in Colombo, as on Sunday against England, and as last Thursday against Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka capitulated in such spectacular fashion that it was easy to forget they were playing on their own turf, and had a squad suitable for making a deep run in this tournament. But that’s exactly how it felt for the first third of Wednesday’s match before the Lankans were trounced by 61 runs to exit the tournament with a whimper. Having reduced the Kiwis – who were playing their first match of the tournament in the country and running cold after their match against Pakistan was washed out …