ENG vs SL: Nissanka’s century helps Sri Lanka register a consolation win

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.

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.

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 has done well in two formats and SLC can consider appointing him for a full-time role.