Sri Lanka celebrated a hard-fought victory in the third and final Test against England at The Oval, securing their fourth ever Test win on English soil. The victory came after an impressive display of batting by opener Pathum Nissanka, who scored an unbeaten century to guide his team to a comfortable eight-wicket win. Although England won the series 2-1, they missed out on a clean sweep of their international summer, having already defeated the West Indies 3-0 in July.
Sri Lanka started Day 4 on 94-1, requiring 125 runs to win. However, they needed barely two hours to complete the chase in a clinical fashion. The foundation for this victory was laid on Sunday when Sri Lanka bowled out England for a paltry 156 runs in just 34 overs, setting themselves a victory target of 219 runs.
Nissanka played a crucial role in the chase, reaching his second Test century in 107 balls. He finished the innings on 127 not out, hitting 13 fours and two sixes, as Sri Lanka comfortably reached the target in 40.3 overs. His performance was particularly impressive considering he had been left out of the first Test against England at Old Trafford, only to be recalled for the second Test at Lord’s.
The diminutive opener celebrated his century with a wide-armed gesture, soaking in the applause from the half-full ground. He then kissed his bat and looked to the sky, a moment of pure joy after a well-deserved achievement. It was fitting that Nissanka scored the winning runs, a cut for four that sealed Sri Lanka’s victory.
Sri Lanka’s previous Test victories in England came in 1998, with a famous 10-wicket win in a one-off Test at The Oval, and then at Trent Bridge in 2006 and Headingley in 2014. This latest victory was not expected after Sri Lanka won the toss but failed to capitalize on perfect bowling conditions on Day 1, allowing England to reach 221-3 by the end of the day.
However, it was all Sri Lanka after that as England’s performance faltered, with sloppy and reckless play becoming evident. The only wicket to fall for Sri Lanka on Monday was Kusal Mendis (39), who pulled a delivery from Gus Atkinson and was caught by Shoaib Bashir in the deep. Angelo Mathews, unbeaten on 32, and Nissanka remained at the crease, sharing an unbroken third-wicket partnership of 111 runs to secure the victory.
