Pathum Nissanka’s maiden test century against England helped Sri Lanka to register their first test win on England soil.
Chasing a target of 219 runs, reached a total for the loss of two wickets before lunch on the fourth day, with Nissanka 127 runs not out and Angelo Matthews 32 runs not out forging a partnership of 111 runs, Sri Lanka secured a 8 wicket victory.
This is the fourth test win in England and the first since their last victory in 2014. However, England took the three-match series 2-1 after wins at Old Trafford and Lord’s.
England failed to clean sweep who whitewashed West Indies 3-0 earlier this season, failed to achieve a first home campaign since 2004 when Michael Vaughan oversaw seven successive wins.
Pathum Nissanka played a blinder to guide Sri Lanka to a win 🌟#WTC25 | #ENGvSL pic.twitter.com/4VSlPySzKm
— ICC (@ICC) September 9, 2024
While speaking in the post-match conference, Nissanka said “It was a great opportunity to play in England. Enjoyed that inning. It was slightly difficult in the morning but I had a positive mindset and went with that. Just wanted to play my normal game.”
“While England floundered this time around, they were pretty flawless over the course of the summer. Some of their selections were subject to widespread debate but by the end of the summer, most if not all of those decisions had been vindicated. Jamie Smith is perhaps the find of the season.”
“He’s shown incredible maturity and looks like he simply belongs to the international stage. Gus Atkinson’s has had an incredible two months as well, loads of wickets and a century at Lord’s.”
“Josh Hull probably didn’t really get enough time to show everything he’s got but he was pretty decent too.”
“Considering they lost their first-choice opener in Crawley and their skipper in Stokes halfway through, England can still be pretty pleased with their achievements. While it might not be the perfect and undefeated summer they were after, they got pretty damn close.”
“The scoreline might still say 2-1 to England but Sri Lanka can be very proud of what they’ve achieved both in this game and on the tour. Many expected England to walk all over Sri Lanka once more and finish the summer without a blot.”
“Sri Lanka, though, turned up and showed incredible tenacity. In the process, they’ve unearthed some great talents as well. Kamindu Mendis has drawn heaps of praise for his performances in the series and Pathum Nissanka, brought back into the side, played with incredible freedom and made a strong statement.”
“Milan Rathnayake was another revelation as well. He not only was consistent with the ball but also scored some crucial runs down the order. If anything, Sri Lanka’s middle order probably needs some work but they’re looking like a pretty competent side,” concluded Pathum Nissanka.
England secured sixth position while Sri Lanka secured fifth position in the WTC points table. Sri Lanka will be playing their next test against New Zealand starting on September 18 at Galle International Stadium.
