Opener Pathum Nissanka’s century helped Sri Lanka pick up a monumental win in the third Test against England at the Kennington Oval. The Lankan Lions restricted the hosts to 156 runs in the second innings, which gave the team a fantastic chance to cause an upset. Notably, England had never lost to an Asian side on its home turf since 2021 and Sri Lanka defeated the Three Lions in a Test match for the first time since 2014.
There was pressure on the visitors ahead of the series as under Ben Stokes, England have played an aggressive brand of cricket and it hasn’t been easy for any team to beat them. The credit goes to the Lankan bowlers, who were phenomenal in the second innings of the third Test as Lahiru Kumara picked up four while Vishwa Fernando clinched three.
Nissanka finished Day 3 on a good note and on the following day, he got the job done. Sri Lanka needed 125 runs to win and he built a fantastic partnership with Angelo Mathews to seal the deal. The 26-year-old remained unbeaten for 127 runs, while Mathews made 32* runs. England bowlers meanwhile lacked character and experience.
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Debutant Josh Hull replaced Mark Wood for the third Test but he failed to impress, leaking 38 runs in six overs he bowled in the second innings. Olly Stone also proved expensive and that didn’t help. Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes had plenty of responsibility and they picked up one wicket each but Sri Lankan batters never looked under any kind of threat.
Also Read – Stuart Broad analyses Josh Hull’s performance in Oval Test
Meanwhile, this was a massive win from Sri Lanka’s point of view. They annihilated India in the ODI series last month and picked up an incredible eight-wicket win over England away from home. Under the interim coach Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka have done well in two formats and SLC can consider appointing him for a full-time role.
Here’s how X reacted:
SRI LANKA LEVEL THE SERIES 1-1 🇱🇰 🔥#ENGvsSL https://t.co/pSnJfYmrPX
— Suraj Pawar 🇮🇳 (@SurajPawar312) September 9, 2024
Brilliant performance by Pathum Nissanka with a century, leading Sri Lanka to a thrilling victory over England in the third Test! 🏏👏 #SLvsENG #Cricket” #ENGvsSL #Pathumnissanka pic.twitter.com/lRj1GnfUav
— Waqar (@WYounis_92) September 9, 2024
P. NISSANKA IS THE HERO FOR SRILANKA.
-He made Historic Century for Srilanka .
-Made 127 off 124 balls (13 Fours, 2 Sixes)
What a Victory for Srilanka…#ENGvsSL
— Sports Zone (@rohit_balyan) September 9, 2024
Lanka has chased 219 in 40.3 overs.
Brilliant innings by Nissanka #EngvsSL
— Syed Taqi Abbas (@syedmtaqi_) September 9, 2024
“HISTORY MADE!
Sri Lanka defeat England in the Test match!
– SL win by 8 wickets
– Pathum Nissanka’s century sets up the victory
What a thrilling match! Congratulations to the Lankan lions on their well-deserved win! #ENGvsSL #TestCricket #SriLankaCricket pic.twitter.com/YKdPFbPl3K
— Mahf R (@Mahesh2115) September 9, 2024
🏴🏏🏴🏏….Congratulations to Sri Lanka on their deserved 8 wicket win in the Third Test….👏👏👏 ..also Well Done to @englandcricket on the series win……. #ENGvSL #ENGvsSL @bbctms
— Steve W6 (@norman_speakes) September 9, 2024
And Nissanka the star for Sri Lanka finishes it in style….. terrific 100 by him made the chase look so easy. Also not to forget DDS and Kamindu’s knock in 1st innings. The latter has been a star already for Sri Lanka in all formats. Great win for SL 👏🏽🔥🏏 #ENGvsSL
— Sanskar Gemawat (@thatSanskariGuy) September 9, 2024
Pathum Nissanka Vs England at the Oval Test:
– 64 (51).
– 127 (124)*
One of the finest overseas knocks for Sri Lanka, the 26 year old scripted history. 🫡👌#TrainAccident #ShobhaKapoor Waqf #ThePerfectFlip #stockmarketcrash#BB26 #GH8S #Gh7S #Kanpur#Evening #ENGvsSL pic.twitter.com/iBsyLKPlGi
— Govinddewasi (@Govindd42458433) September 9, 2024