Why Pathum Nissanka is one of the world's best all-format batters

Pathum Nissanka is the sort of unassuming character you hear enough about, but probably won’t recognise when he passes by on a street.

He might not be the face on posters yet, but he's become the face of Sri Lanka's batting alright. The last two years have been so prolific, that he's an easy mention among the world's current best all-format batters.

When Nissanka took off his helmet against India, his first T20I hundred stylishly secured, he had joined a group of just four Sri Lankans to hit a century in all three formats. By pure numbers, he has scored more international runs than anyone since the start of 2024, barring Joe Root. Among openers, no one has more centuries (8) in the same period.

So, where has he been all this while?

A remarkably upgraded T20 batter

Nissanka first came into the Sri Lanka mix in 2021 with long-format batting as his forte. At that point, he was averaging 67.54 in first-class cricket. In their preceding domestic first-class tournament, he had hit three centuries in nine innings.

There were signs of T20 promise too: in the 2019/20 SLC T20 League, he had struck at 142, averaging 49. Probably enough for the selectors to blood him in the format.

Just four T20Is old, he was thrown into the 2021 T20 World Cup to open with Kusal Perera. The style was largely old-school: he hit three fifties, including 72 against South Africa when just two others managed double-digits. He was clearly cut for the top level, but he was the "accumulator" most teams were moving away from, not really a powerplay-maximiser, but of the "stay long and hit later" variety.

The numbers felt from a bygone era: in his debut year, he struck at 117. In 2022, that came down to 113. In six innings the following year, he managed to strike at just 92. 

The change in strike rate

Nissanka has played in two other T20 World Cups since. In the 2022 edition, the strike-rate was a worrying 109. But, from the start of 2024, a massive improvement came about.

In two home series against Zimbabwe and Afghanistan, he struck at 127 and 202 across three matches each. At the 2024 T20 World Cup – which yielded the lowest recorded scoring rate across all editions – Nissanka hit a 28-ball 47 in a low-scoring game against Bangladesh.

Overall in 2024, Nissanka’s run-tally was six short of Kusal Mendis’ 628 runs for Sri Lanka. More importantly, among everyone who batted at least 15 times, only Wanindu Hasaranga had a higher strike rate. He was fixing his biggest drawback.

In 2025, Nissanka is comfortably leading their run-charts, with a higher strike-rate than anyone with a 25-ball cutoff. At the Asia Cup, he also hit his peak ICC T20I rating. It might have helped that Sanath Jayasuriya, one of the most destructive openers ever, has been coaching the side, allowing Nissanka to “play freely”.

There's been no obvious change in his game: he still relies on the basic blocks of traditional batting, but seems to have extended conventional strokemaking to get more benefit. Drives have become lofted, the pull has more punch in it, and the flicks fly off the bat. You could see it in their final Asia Cup game: against Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh, he brought out all those strokes, flying to 47 off 21 in the powerplay itself.

That's another significant metric Nissanka has worked on in the last two years, turning a middling powerplay career around.

Nissanka in T20I powerplays (year-on-year)

The (now-fixed) issue with six-hitting

Early in his career, there seemed to be a clear deficiency in six-hitting. Until his 67 against England at the 2022 T20 World Cup – comprising five sixes – he had managed just 19 in 34 innings. 

That has changed in the last two years, and particularly in 2025. For the first time, he’s hit a positive sixes/innings ratio, hand-in-hand with a significantly improved strike-rate.

Nissanka’s T20I six-hitting over the years

 

 

 

In chases, Nissanka’s recent record is splendid. Until he was dismissed for six against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup, he hit nine consecutive thirty-plus scores.

Since the start of 2024, he averages 52.25 in chases, striking at 153.67. No surprises he's called Virat Kohli his idol.

 

 

Where does he rank among the world's best?

Since the start of 2024, Nissanka has scored the most T20I runs by a Full Member opener, and third-best overall. Among all Full Member openers who have batted at least 10 times since the start of 2024, Nissanka's strike-rate (144.92) is 14th out of 36. 

Compare it to every Full Member opener who batted at least 10 times since his debut in March 2021, until the end of 2023, Nissanka was ranked 38th among 44 openers (strike-rate 112).

That's rapid improvement. He may not be operating at the level of Abhishek Sharma or Phil Salt, the top-two ranked T20I openers currently, but he's shown to be highly reliable and consistent, even in trickier conditions where others might not click.

It's also a reminder that Nissanka hasn't played top-flight franchise T20 cricket like most others have. That level of exposure could take his game even higher.

Flying high in ODIs

In ODIs, Nissanka has been just as prolific, but helped in part by Sri Lanka's one-day heavy schedule. Since the start of 2023, no ODI opener has scored more runs (2169), but he's also batted more than the rest (51 times).

In this period, his six centuries are only beaten by Gill's seven, and it include a career-defining 210* against Afghanistan, Sri Lanka's first-ever double century. He's also crossed fifty more times than anyone (19).

He's also shown to be the man for big events: at the 2023 World Cup Qualifier, he was the second-highest run-scorer (417 at 69.50), and was their second-highest run-getter in the main tournament, hitting four fifties in nine games. 

 

That they didn’t qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophywas probably a missed opportunity for Nissanka to expand on his remarkable 2024, where he averaged 63, struck at 106.

Again in chases, Nissanka stands out, with six of his seven ODI centuries coming batting second. The average is a grand 57.43, helped to an extent by three centuries in Zimbabwe. 

Making a mark in Tests

Building parallel to his white-ball heroics is a steady base for what could be a great Test career. The signs, in the last couple of years, have all pointed to that. He started off by crunching a debut century, but then encountered a near two-year gap in the middle. He later admitted that the period helped him focus earnestly on his white-ball game, the results for which are clearly there.

Early on, Nissanka was tried out at three, and briefly even at six, but is now settled in his position at the top. From 31 innings, he currently averages 45: since the start of 2024, that goes up to 72.

Significantly, his away average is much higher than his home average (53 v 40), with centuries in England and the West Indies, and fighting fifties in India and South Africa. His 64 & 127* at The Oval last year was a true reflection of how he’s grown in stature, able to carry the batting on his shoulders. On key away WTC tours for Sri Lanka, that is a great trait to have.

As an opener, he averages 57 since the start of 2023, and will have a much bigger role to play with Dimuth Karunaratne walking away. Perhaps surprisingly, his strike-rate (71.96) is the fourth-best in the same cutoff with only Ben Duckett, Brian Bennett and Zak Crawley having better numbers.

Highest Test average by an opener since 2023

Min. 10 innings

Bottomline: Nissanka's growing at a rapid rate. In the last two years, he has scored more international runs than any other batter. He's worked on his weaknesses to be among the best in the world and he's just 27, theoretically yet to hit his best years.

Among his main competitors are Ben Duckett and Travis Head, while the likes of Shubman Gill and Harry Brook lack slightly in one out of three formats.

Being an all-format batter is a complex task: the requirements and priorities vary, the unforgiving calendar means that breaks are shorter to switch mindsets. Nissanka's found a sweet spot somewhere, and he's also built some quiet confidence along the way. Against Harshit Rana in the Asia Cup, he responded to a dot (and a return throw by Rana) with a six off the very next ball, nonchalantly chewing his gum as he stared back. His century celebration was a reminder that in all the noise, he'll let his bat do the talking.

In June, Nissanka had revealed he wants to be ranked among the top all-format ten batters in the world. Going by his form and record, he's high up on the list already. And there's still a long way to go.