“We're in the lap of the gods now” - Mitchell Marsh after being on the verge of elimination in T20 WC 2026

Australian captain Mitchell Marsh has opened up on his team’s eight-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka in their third group stage clash in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on Monday, February 16, in Pallekele.

While Australia started off on a dominant note with 70 runs coming in the powerplay, they failed to create an impact with the willow in the death overs, as they managed to score only 181 runs in 20 overs.

“Well, I thought it was a competitive total at the halfway mark. There's no doubt we probably left ourselves a few short after the start that we had. So that's disappointing, but well played to Sri Lanka, they outplayed us tonight,” Mitchell Marsh said at the post-match presentation ceremony.  

“We know that at our best, we can make big scores. And we just lost our way a little bit there towards the back-end. Couldn't get a partnership going and Sri Lanka bowled really well towards the back-end of their innings. So, yeah, coming off, we knew we were a few short. As I said, with the start that we had, but yeah, not much else to say other than Sri Lanka outplayed us,” he added.

In the chase, Sri Lanka took 18 overs to seal the deal with eight wickets in hand. Opening batter Pathum Nissanka was the wrecker-in-chief, bringing in the first century of the campaign, as he scored 100* runs off 52 balls. Australia’s qualification chances now depend on the Zimbabwe vs Ireland game.

“It's a devastated group. We're in the lap of the gods now, I think, with the way it's shaped up. But yeah, look, there's a lot of emotion in the rooms right now. We haven't been at our best. And so, yeah, we watch the Zimbabwe-Ireland game with and we hope.... But yeah we're a disappointed bunch at the moment,” he concluded.

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at Sky365 and download the Sky365 App to start betting today!