Pathum Nissanka, take a bow! Yes, the Islanders are celebrating a famous Test win over hosts England in the third match of the Series, courtesy of an unbeaten 127 the Sri Lankan opener scored in the second innings of the Test match. He was ably supported by Kusal Mendis and Angello Matthews who scored 39 and 32, respectively, to help the side win a game by 8 wickets in Sri Lanka vs England Test Series 2024.
Although England had already secured a Series victory by beating Sri Lanka in the first two tests of the three-match Test Series, the Islanders had their pride at stake. And boy, didn’t they return the favour to England by giving them the knockout punch in the last Test held at Kennington Oval, London.
Batting Collapse for Hosts in 3rd Match of Sri Lanka vs England Test Series 2024
Islanders won the toss and put the Britishers into bat first in the third match of the Sri Lanka vs England Test Series 2024. English batters started on a blistering note by slamming Sri Lankan bowlers. Opener Ben Duckett and Captain Ollie Pope shared a quickfire 95-run partnership for the second wicket after Dan Lawrence departed for just five. Pope batted alongside Joe Root and Harry Brook to take England’s score to 261 for 3 in 52.3 overs before it went horribly wrong for the hosts. Sri Lanka, courtesy of an all-round bowling effort from Milan Rathnayake, Dhananjaya de Silva and Asitha Fernando, restricted England to 325 all out in 69.1 overs. These three together scalped 7 wickets while conceding just 64 runs. For England, Ollie Pope scored 154 and Ben Duckett slammed 86.
SL Start on a Woeful Note in First Innings
Sri Lanka, true to what happened in the games before, caved in to England’s dominance by losing 5 wickets for just 93 before a 127-run partnership between Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis revived the islanders in the third match of Sri Lanka vs England Test Series 2024. Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for 263 in 61.2 overs, conceding the home side a crucial 62-run first-innings lead. Dhananjaya top scored with 69, while Pathum and Kamindu scored 64 runs each.
Ollie Pope-led Side Collapsed to 156 All Out in Sri Lanka vs England Test Series 2024
Sri Lanka were a different force in the third innings of the match by taking wickets at regular intervals. England were reduced to 82 for 7 before a 58-run partnership between Jamie Smith and Oily Stone steadied jitters in the English camp. Sri Lanka then hit back by taking the remaining wickets for just 16 runs as England were skittled out for 156 in 34.1 overs. Lahiru Kumara was the pick of the overs by scalping four wickets for 21 runs. He was supported brilliantly by Vishwa Fernando, Asitha Fernando and Milan Rathnayake who picked three, two and a wicket, respectively.
Islanders Began on a Blistering Note in the Fourth Innings of Sri Lanka vs England Test Series 2024
The victory target for Sri Lanka was just 219 with a little more than two days to go. For the first time, SL looked ominous for England in the three-match Test Series. Sri Lanka raced to 39 for no loss in 6.5 overs before Chris Woakes caught Dimuth Karunaratne off his own bowling. However, the loss of Karunaratne had no impact on Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis as they continued to slam English bowlers to take Sri Lanka to 94 for 1 at the close of Day 3 at Kennington Oval.
Day 4 Belonged to Sri Lanka Fair and Square
With 125 runs to get in two days, Sri Lanka’s victory loomed large over the hosts England. Even though England picked the overnight batter Kusal Mendis early in the day when Sri Lanka reached 108, the islanders were in no mood to relent. Pathum Nissanka continued to be aggressive in the company of the experienced Angello Matthews who looked solid at the other end, playing deliveries to their merit. Nissanka brought up his third Century in his Test career. He ended at 127 not out off 124 balls, slamming 13 fours and two sixes to bring up a comfortable 8-wicket victory for the islanders in the Sri Lanka vs England Test Series 2024. He was adjudged the Player of the Match award for his stupendous batting display, while Kamindu Mendis and Joe Root were declared Player of the Series.
Wrapping Up
Even though Sri Lanka lost the Test Series to England by 2-1, the victory at the Oval will do their confidence a world of good. Nobody expected the Sri Lankan team to stand tall against the mighty British in the latter’s backyard. The win in the last Test Match is a testament to the change in attitude after the legend Sanath Jayasuriya took over the reins following Sri Lanka’s disastrous T20 WC 2024 campaign. SL had earlier beaten India in the home ODI Series by 2-0. Hope the Lankan Lions continue to roar and relive their brilliance of the old.
From all of us at zarooribaathai.in, it’s goodbye! Take care of yourself and stay happy!
