The 2026 T20 World Cup in Pallekele just witnessed one of those moments, the kind that makes you jump off your couch and spill your coffee. Sri Lanka, fighting for a Super 8 spot, needed something special to halt a dangerous Australian charge, and Pathum Nissanka delivered pure magic.

Australia had flown out of the blocks with Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh, but the Sri Lankan spinners clawed their way back, triggering a middle-order collapse. Enter Glenn Maxwell. The "Big Show" was just getting comfortable, sitting on 22 runs off 15 balls. He had already smashed a six and a four, and with the death overs approaching, he looked ready to launch Australia from a decent 160 to a match-winning 200+.

It was the first ball of the 17th over. Leg-spinner Dushan Hemantha tossed one up, tempting Maxwell. True to his style, Maxwell dropped to one knee for a powerful reverse sweep, connecting sweetly. The ball rocketed flat towards the backward point, destined for the boundary.

But Nissanka had other plans. Stationed at a backward point, he didn't just dive; he took flight. Reading the shot instantly, he launched himself to his left, snatching the ball out of thin air while fully horizontal. It was a "blink, and you'll miss it" reaction that left Maxwell shaking his head in disbelief as he walked off. That moment of brilliance completely shifted the momentum, helping restrict Australia to 181, a total Sri Lanka began chasing with confidence.