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.
13:05 Local Time, 12:05 GMT, 17:35 IST: This is truly a remarkable win for Sri Lanka, just their 4th in England and they can go back home with their heads held high. On the flip side, it’s a bit of an embarrassing loss for England and their summer ends with a blemish. Amidst all the hubris, they got a little ahead of themselves and were quite careless and casual at times. They were in strong positions twice in this game - first when they ended Day 1 on 221/3 and again when they’d claimed a 62-run first innings lead - and managed to bungle up on both occasions to hand back the advantage. Their batting, particularly in the second innings, was quite callous to the situation and it was as if they were caught in delinquent frenzy while throwing their wickets away. To Sri Lanka’s credit, they seized the opportunity and held their nerve despite a lapse permitting a remarkable fightback from Jamie Smith. It left them with 212 to chase in the final innings and no Asian side had chased that many in the fourth innings of a Test in England. That’s when Sri Lanka really put their foot down and took a firm command of the narrative. Led by a glorious century from Pathum Nissanka, Sri Lanka started by mercilessly tearing into England’s attack at the end of the third day before adopting a more measured approach the next day to see themselves home without any real hiccups.
40.3
Bashir to Nissanka, FOUR, fittingly Nissanka finishes it off. A consolation win for Sri Lanka and a well-deserved win too. They have been the better side in this game. England run out of steam after 5 wins in a row in the summer.
40.2
Bashir to Nissanka, no run, flat good length outside off, Nissanka goes on the back foot to defend
40.1
Bashir to Mathews, 1 run, good length outside off, nudged to square leg for one
39.6
Josh Hull to Nissanka, no run, back of a length on middle, defended back solidly
39.5
Josh Hull to Nissanka, FOUR, more good batting. It's short of length outside off, Nissanka punches firmly and wide of cover, races away
39.4
Josh Hull to Mathews, 1 run, short outside off, pulled hard and straight to deep mid-wicket
39.3
Josh Hull to Mathews, no run, short outside off, left alone and it loops to Jamie Smith
39.2
Josh Hull to Nissanka, 1 run, to square leg
39.1
Josh Hull to Nissanka, no run, short of length down leg, Nissanka glances and misses
Josh Hull [5.0-0-32-0] is back into the attack
38.6
Bashir to Mathews, FOUR, to deep square leg, the partnership between Mathews and Nissanka is now
38.5
Bashir to Nissanka, 1 run, good length outside off, Nissanka goes on the back foot to punch to deep extra-cover for one
England
Sri Lanka
