Victory gave Sri Lanka just a fourth Test win in England and first since a 100-run success at Headingley back in 2014
\n LONDON
\nPathum Nissanka\u2019s superb unbeaten century guided Sri Lanka to an eight-wicket win over England in the third Test at The Oval on Monday.
\nSri Lanka, set a target of 219, reached that total for the loss of two wickets before lunch on the fourth day, with Nissanka 127 not out and Angelo Mathews 32 not out in an unbroken stand of 111.
\nVictory gave Sri Lanka just a fourth Test win in England and first since a 100-run success at Headingley back in 2014. England, however, took the three-match series 2-1 following wins at Old Trafford (five wickets) and Lord\u2019s (190 runs).
\nSri Lanka resumed on 94-1, already well-placed to end a run of seven straight Test defeats by England.
\nNissanka, recalled at Lord\u2019s, was 53 not out \u2013 his second fifty of the match following a first-innings 64 \u2013 and the recalled Kusal Mendis unbeaten on 30.
\nMendis, however, had added just nine runs to his score when he hooked a Gus Atkinson bouncer to fine leg where Shoaib Bashir, doing well to sight the ball on a gloomy morning, held an excellent low catch diving to his left.
\nSri Lanka were now 108-2 as Mathews, who made a brilliant 160 in their Headingley success a decade ago, walked in to bat.
\nEngland captain Ollie Pope, with Sri Lanka making good progress against the quicks at 137-2, brought on off-spinner Bashir.
\nBashir, however, promptly conceded 10 runs in an over, Nissanka pulling a dragged down ball to square leg and Mathews sweeping another four.
\nAnd when Chris Woakes too carelessly dropped short, the diminutive Nissanka, out of the Test side for two years, cut him for four to go to 95.
\nNissanka\u2019s punched three off Atkinson through point saw the 26-year-old complete an excellent 107-ball hundred including 11 fours.
\nDouble six
\nAnd having reached the landmark, Nissanka hooked fast bowler Olly Stone for two sixes.
\nNissanka ended the match by cutting Bashir for four, having already topped his previous highest Test score of 103 against the West Indies at North Sound in 2021.
\nDefeat for England, who whitewashed the West Indies 3-0 earlier in the season, ended their hopes of a first home campaign clean sweep since 2004, when Michael Vaughan oversaw seven successive wins.
\nEngland squandered several strong positions, including collapsing from 261-3 to 325 all out in their first innings despite 154 from Pope \u2013 his first century since stepping in for the injured Ben Stokes as skipper at the start of this series.
\nThey also allowed Sri Lanka to recover from 93-5 to 263 in reply, with Pope deploying an all-spin attack after tea on a gloomy second day.
\nEngland led by 62 runs on first innings.
\nBut their top-order then batted as if they had double that lead second time around, with England collapsing spectacularly to 82-7 before being dismissed for 156 in just 34 overs.
\nLahiru Kumara took 4-21 and left-arm swing bowler Vishwa Fernando 3-40 including the prize scalp of Joe Root for just 12.
\nOnly wicketkeeper Jamie Smith\u2019s counter-attacking 67, off 50 balls including 10 fours and a six, ensured Sri Lanka were chasing more than 200 for victory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Victory gave Sri Lanka just a fourth Test win in England and first since a 100-run success at Headingley back in 2014 LONDON Pathum Nissanka\u2019s superb unbeaten century guided Sri Lanka to an eight-wicket win over England in the third Test at The Oval on Monday. Sri Lanka, set a target of 219, reached that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":430237,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-430235","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n