LONDON: Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva said Pathum Nissanka had proved himself the “best batsman” in the country after the opener’s superb century at the Oval helped the team end their 10-year wait for a Test win over England.
Nissanka made 127 not out as Sri Lanka cruised to the target of 219, before lunch on the fourth day as they won the third Test by eight wickets. England took the three-match series 2-1 after victories at Old Trafford (by five wickets) and Lord’s (by 190 runs).
The victory was a significant moment for Sri Lanka whose last Test-match win over England was a 100-run success at Headingley back in 2014.
“This is one of the happiest moments in my career and my life,” said de Silva.
“We had a tough time in the last two weeks so to come here and get a win in English conditions against an English team, it is a very good moment for me, my team, and my country as well.”
The victory was a personal triumph for Nissanka, who only returned to Test cricket following a two-year exile at Lord’s. The 26-year-old was named player-of-the-match after also making a fine 64 in Sri Lanka’s first innings at the Oval.
“The moment he came in, he proved he is the best batsman in Sri Lanka right now,” said De Silva.
England captain Ollie Pope, meanwhile, admitted his side “shot ourselves in the foot” after two poor batting displays cost them the chance of a first home Test sweep since 2004 after a rejuvenated team overwhelmed the West Indies 3-0 earlier in the season.
Pope, on his Surrey home ground, scored his first century since stepping as skipper for the injured Ben Stokes at the start of this series.
Despite his 154, England declined from 261-3 to 325 all out in their first innings. Worse followed as they were dismissed for a mere 156 in just 34 overs second time around.
“It’s been disappointing, on the third day we shot ourselves in the foot,” said Pope.
“With the bat we weren’t good enough and, in the second innings, we weren’t up to it.”
When play resumed on Monday, Sri Lanka needed only 125 more runs for victory, while England required nine wickets.
Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson showed the strain of playing six Tests in a relatively short space of time, while the 20-year-old duo Josh Hull and Shoaib Bashir never threatened to derail Sri Lanka’s run chase.
Atkinson, who had been carrying a quad injury, was subsequently withdrawn from the one-day squad to face Australia, with Olly Stone taking his place.
Atkinson, a 26-year-old Surrey quick, made his debut during England great James Anderson’s international farewell in July and has enjoyed a sensational start to his Test career, taking 34 wickets in six matches at an average of just 20.17.
Atkinson appears set for a key role during England’s tour of Pakistan next month, with county colleague Pope saying: “Obviously there’s a few of our guys carrying a few small injuries but credit to them on the way they fronted up and cracked on.”
Joe Root, who passed the England record of 33 Test centuries held by Alastair Cook with twin hundreds at Lord’s, tried to put Monday’s loss in context by telling the BBC: “I don’t think we played our best cricket this week and that is going to happen from time to time.
“Coldplay can’t be number one every week.”
De Silva hails hundred hero Nissanka as Sri Lanka end England drought
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De Silva hails hundred hero Nissanka as Sri Lanka end England drought
- Nissanka made 127 not out as Sri Lanka cruised to the target of 219, before lunch on the fourth day as they won third Test by eight wickets
- The victory was a significant moment for Sri Lanka whose last Test-match win over England was a 100-run success at Headingley back in 2014
Warriorz beat Knight Riders on final delivery in low-scoring thriller to remain in ILT20 playoff hunt
- Chasing 135, and needing 12 from the final over, Sharjah claim victory thanks largely to unbeaten 42 from James Rew and a supporting knock of 28 by Sikandar Raza
ABU DHABI: Sharjah Warriorz held their nerve in a tense, low-scoring encounter to secure a dramatic four-wicket victory over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Monday, a win that keeps their International League T20 playoff hopes alive.
Chasing just 135 for victory, the Warriorz reached the target off the final ball, thanks in large part to a composed, unbeaten 42 from James Rew and a crucial supporting knock of 28 from Sikandar Raza.
Sharjah are still at the foot of the table in sixth place but the victory left them on six points with two matches remaining, level with the Knight Riders, who have played one game more, and Gulf Giants. With Dubai Capitals just two points ahead in third place, it sets up a tight race for the remaining playoff places.
A blistering opening bowling spell from Taskin Ahmed and Wasim Akram put the Knight Riders on the back foot from the start after they were asked to bat first. The pair ripped through the top order to leave Abu Dhabi reeling on 10/4 inside four overs.
Ahmed struck in the opening over to dismiss Phil Salt before Akram removed Brandon McMullen LBW. Ahmed then claimed the wicket of Alex Hales, and Akram followed it up with a historic wicket maiden in the fourth over, trapping Liam Livingstone for a duck. It was the first wicket maiden by a UAE player in the four-season history of the competition.
Sherfane Rutherford attempted to stabilize the innings with a counterattacking 44 off 36 balls, and Alishan Sharafu added 19, but scoring remained difficult as the Warriorz bowlers tightened their grip once again. Raza broke Rutherford and Sharafu’s 38-run stand, and despite a late partnership of 52 between Rutherford and Unmukt Chand, who contributed 24, the Knight Riders were restricted to a total of 134/9. Adil Rashid removed both Jason Holder and Andre Russell at the death, finishing the day with three wickets.
The Warriorz chase began in shaky fashion as they lost Johnson Charles and Monank Patel early, before Tom Kohler-Cadmore steadied the innings with a patient 30. Sunil Narine and Olly Stone applied pressure through the middle overs, however, leaving Sharjah on 58/3 at the halfway stage.
Narine eventually removed Kohler-Cadmore, but Raza and Rew then combined in a vital 57-run partnership to keep the chase on track. The latter found the boundary at key moments and rotated the strike calmly as the equation tightened.
Holder bowled a superb penultimate over to leave the Warriorz requiring 12 from the final six balls but Rew and Rashid held their nerve to guide the Warriorz to the winning run on the last delivery.
Player of the match Rashid praised his teammates for their composure in the closing stages: “It was pleasing to contribute in a situation where things could easily have gone the other way, especially bowling the 18th and 20th overs.
“Having played against Jason and Andre for a long time does help, but thankfully the plans came off.”
Holder, the Knight Riders captain, admitted his side fell short with the bat.
“We didn’t put enough runs on the board, although full credit goes to our bowlers for the way they fought and took the game deep,” he said.
“We needed to keep wickets intact during the powerplay, and if one or two moments had gone our way, the momentum could have shifted.”
