Match Summary:
Sri Lanka defeated England by 8 wickets in the 3rd Test at The Oval, clinching the series win. Chasing a target of 219 runs, Sri Lanka comfortably reached 219/2, led by a brilliant unbeaten 127* from Pathum Nissanka, who was also named Player of the Match.
England Innings:
1st Innings:
England posted a total of 325 runs in 69.1 overs, with Ollie Pope scoring a commanding 154 off 156 balls, and Ben Duckett contributing 86 off 79 balls. Sri Lanka’s bowlers were led by Milan Rathnayake, who took 3 wickets for 56 runs, while Vishwa Fernando and Lahiru Kumara took 2 wickets each.
2nd Innings:
England were bowled out for 156 runs in 34 overs. Jamie Smith was the top scorer with 67 off 50 balls. Lahiru Kumara wreaked havoc, taking 4 wickets for 21 runs, supported by Vishwa Fernando who took 3 wickets for 40 runs.
Sri Lanka Innings:
1st Innings:
Sri Lanka managed to score 263 runs in 61.2 overs, trailing by 62 runs. Dhananjaya de Silva (69 off 111 balls) and Kamindu Mendis (64 off 91 balls) were the standout performers. England’s Josh Hull and Olly Stone took 3 wickets each to restrict Sri Lanka.
2nd Innings:
In their second innings, Sri Lanka chased down the target of 219 runs comfortably, thanks to a brilliant unbeaten century by Pathum Nissanka (127* off 124 balls). Dimuth Karunaratne contributed 8 runs, and Kusal Mendis added a quick 39 off 37 balls before Angelo Mathews (32* off 61 balls) supported Nissanka to seal the victory.
Key Performances:
- Pathum Nissanka (Sri Lanka): Scored 64 in the first innings and an unbeaten 127* in the second innings, leading Sri Lanka to victory.
- Ollie Pope (England): Top-scored in the first innings with a knock of 154 runs.
- Lahiru Kumara (Sri Lanka): Took 4 wickets for 21 runs in the second innings to dismantle England’s batting lineup.
Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets and Pathum Nissanka was named Player of the Match.
Fall of Wickets:
England 1st Innings: 45/1 (Lawrence), 140/2 (Duckett), 191/3 (Root), 261/4 (Brook), 290/5 (Smith), 299/6 (Woakes), 307/7 (Atkinson), 307/8 (Pope), 318/9 (Hull), 325/10 (Bashir).
Sri Lanka 1st Innings: 34/1 (Karunaratne), 70/2 (Mendis), 86/3 (Mathews), 91/4 (Nissanka), 93/5 (Chandimal), 220/6 (de Silva), 233/7 (Mendis), 238/8 (Fernando), 248/9 (Rathnayake), 263/10 (Fernando).
England 2nd Innings: 20/1 (Duckett), 35/2 (Pope), 56/3 (Lawrence), 66/4 (Root), 69/5 (Brook), 70/6 (Woakes), 82/7 (Atkinson), 140/8 (Smith), 145/9 (Stone), 156/10 (Bashir).
Sri Lanka 2nd Innings: 39/1 (Karunaratne), 108/2 (Mendis).
Sri Lanka reached the target in 40.3 overs at a run rate of 5.40, with Pathum Nissanka leading the charge.
Bowling Summary:
- England: Chris Woakes (1/52), Gus Atkinson (1/44), Josh Hull (0/38), Olly Stone (0/45), Shoaib Bashir (0/28).
- Sri Lanka: Lahiru Kumara (4/21), Vishwa Fernando (3/40), Asitha Fernando (2/49), Milan Rathnayake (1/43).
Sri Lanka’s strong all-round performance secured their series win in England’s home turf.
