The stage was set. It was only a matter of time before they reached the target. Pathum Nissanka’s century brought that goal within their grasp. With that, Sri Lanka scripted a fairy tale at The Oval, ending a 10-year wait. After 2014, they once again tasted victory against England in a Test match.
By the end of the third day of the Oval Test, Sri Lanka could already smell victory. The fourth day didn’t bring any surprises either. Sri Lanka chased down the remaining 125 runs before lunch, securing an 8-wicket victory. Pathum Nissanka remained unbeaten on 127* off 124 balls.
With this, Sri Lanka maintained a perfect Test record at The Oval. The two teams had played here once before, in 1998, where Sri Lanka won thanks to Muttiah Muralitharan’s heroics, who single-handedly dismantled the Three Lions, taking 16 wickets.
On Sunday, Sri Lanka started their run chase and reached 94 runs for the loss of one wicket in just 15 overs. Nissanka finished the day with 53, while Kusal Mendis contributed 30. However, Monday saw an early setback as Kusal Mendis was dismissed for 39, breaking their 69-run partnership, with Gus Atkinson taking the wicket.
But after that, Sri Lanka never looked back. Nissanka and Angelo Mathews put together an unbeaten 111-run partnership to secure the win. Nissanka reached his second Test century in 107 balls, his innings studded with 13 fours and 2 sixes.
Mathews, who was also part of the 2014 victory, scored 32 runs off 61 balls. Other players from that 2014 victory, Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal, were also present at The Oval this time around.
In the Oval Test, England scored 325 runs in their first innings. In response, Sri Lanka managed 263 runs. However, the hosts couldn’t go far in their second innings, getting bowled out for just 156 runs. With a 62-run lead, Sri Lanka had a target of 219 runs to chase, which they achieved comfortably.
