The series concluded at the Oval in London, where Sri Lanka faced off against England in the third and final Test. England had already dominated the tour, winning the first two matches to clinch the trophy. On September 6, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bowl first. England posted 325 runs in 69.1 overs, thanks to a brilliant 154 from Captain Ollie Pope and 86 from Ben Duckett. Sri Lanka's bowling effort was led by Milan Ratnayake with 3 wickets, supported by Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, and Dhananjaya de Silva with 2 apiece. In their first turn at bat, Sri Lanka struggled, falling for 263 runs in 61.2 overs, despite scores of 69 from Dhananjaya de Silva and 64 each from Pathum Nissanka and Kamindu Mendis. England's bowlers, specifically Ollie Stone and Jos Hull (3 wickets each) and Chris Woakes (2 wickets), kept the pressure on. England entered their second innings with a 90-run lead, and most expected them to set a daunting target of 300 to 400 runs. However, the momentum shifted dramatically. Sri Lankan bowlers turned the tide, dismantling the English lineup for a meager 156 runs in just 34 overs—one of England's lowest home scores against Sri Lanka. Lahiru Kumara was the destroyer-in-chief with 4 wickets, aided by Vishwa Fernando (3) and Asitha Fernando (2), who used lethal swing bowling to tear through the batting order. While Jamie Smith fought back with 67 runs, the damage was done. Sri Lanka was left to chase a manageable 219 runs. After Karunaratne fell cheaply for 8, Pathum Nissanka took charge. Alongside Gusal Mendis, who contributed a brisk 39, Nissanka played with an aggression rarely seen in Tests, treating the match almost like a baseball game. He smashed a magnificent unbeaten 127 off 124 balls, including 13 fours and 2 sixes, to steer his team to victory.
match series there. England clinched the trophy early on with back-to-back wins
in the first two matches of the series. The official final match then began for both
teams on September 6 at the Oval Cricket Ground in London. Sri Lanka won the
toss and declared to bowl first and invited the England team to bat.
At the end of the first inning, England scored 325 runs in 69.1 overs. Captain Ollie
Pope scored the highest score of 154(156) runs, and opener Ben Duckett scored
86(79) runs for the team. Milan Ratnayake took the maximum 3 wickets, and
Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, and Dhananjaya de Silva took 2 wickets each for
Sri Lanka. After that, Sri Lanka played again modestly and were all out for just 263
runs in 61.2 overs.
Here, opener Pathum Nissanka 64(51), Captain Dhananjaya de Silva 69(111), and
Kamindu Mendis 64(91) were the highest scorers for the Sri Lankan team. On
behalf of England, Ollie Stone and Jos Hull took 3 wickets each, and Chris Woakes
took 2 wickets. The match was then in England's control until they went into the
second inning with a lead of 90 runs.
Using that, England were expected to set up a target of at least 300-400 runs. But
in the second innings, the Sri Lankan bowlers bowled furiously and bowled
England out for just 156 runs in 34 overs. At home, England recorded the lowest
score against Sri Lanka and had a poor record.
While wicketkeeper Jamie Smith scored the maximum 67(50) runs for the team,
Lahiru Kumara picked up 4 wickets, Vishwa Fernando 3 wickets, and Asitha
Fernando 2 wickets as the Sri Lankans blew away the home team's batting in an
incisive display of swing bowling.
In the end, Karunaratne was dismissed for 8(21) runs as Sri Lanka chased an easy
target of 219 runs. But another opener, Pathum Nissanka, came into action and
scored a half-century to give England a challenge. Like him, Gusal Mendis, who
came next, did his part and was dismissed for 39(37) runs. On the other hand,
Pathum Nissanka, who continued to play aggressively and showed England's
baseball, scored a century and secured 127*(124) runs with 13 fours and 2 sixes.
Nissanka found a steady partner in Angelo Mathews, who added 32* runs to help seal an 8-wicket win. This victory is monumental, as it's the first time since their 2014 win at Leeds that Sri Lanka has beaten England on their own turf. In the years between, they had endured 9 losses and a single draw in England. Furthermore, this marks their first win at the Oval since 1998—a 26-year wait. While the result saved Sri Lanka from a complete whitewash, England still walked away with a 2–1 series victory.
runs with 3 fours, and Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets.
With this, 10 years after their victory at Leeds in 2014, Sri Lanka has achieved the
best record by defeating England in a match on their home soil. In the intervening
periods, Sri Lanka suffered 1 draw and 9 losses on England soil. After 1998, Sri
Lanka won at the Oval after 26 years. So Sri Lanka won a consolation to avoid a
whitewash defeat. On the other hand, England won the cup 2–1 (3).