September 9, 2024

Sri Lanka Advances Towards Victory After Seamers’ Strong Comeback

On a dramatic third day at The Oval, Sri Lanka gained the upper hand in the final Test against England. England, having set a target of 325 with scores of 325 and 156 (Smith 67, Kumara 4-21, Vishwa 3-40), struggled against Sri Lankan bowlers Vishwa Fernando and Lahiru Kumara, who dismissed them for just 34.

After their first innings of 263 (Dhananjaya 69, Kamindu 64, Nissanka 64), Sri Lanka reached 94 for 1 in their second innings, with Nissanka unbeaten on 53*. They now need 125 more runs to win.

Despite a tough start on the first day, where Sri Lankan bowlers failed to exploit favorable conditions after winning the toss, they recovered well. After England’s Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett impressed in gloomy conditions, Sri Lanka’s bowlers made a strong comeback with effective swing bowling, both on a dark second day and under clear skies on the third. Jamie Smith’s aggressive batting briefly rescued England. Still, with lousy light ending play early on Sunday, Sri Lanka is in a strong position as they head into the final day.

Only Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett scored over 20 runs in England’s first innings, and the team was all out for 325. Sri Lanka’s Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis, and Pathum Nissanka each scored fifties. Still, none of them could build a big innings to put Sri Lanka ahead. Consequently, Sri Lanka trailed by 62 runs.

In England’s second innings, Dan Lawrence top-scored with 35, but Jamie Smith made an impact, smashing 67 off just 50 balls. England’s other batters struggled, with no one else scoring more than 12 runs, as Lahiru Kumara and Vishwa Fernando kept the pressure on.

Sri Lanka in Strong Position Despite England’s Late Recovery

By the time bad light ended play early, Sri Lanka was in a strong position at 94 for 1, needing 125 more runs to win. Chris Woakes’ spectacular catch dismissed Dimuth Karunaratne for 8, but that was the only wicket to fall in Sri Lanka’s innings. Nissanka, with an unbeaten 53, and Kusal Mendis, not out on 30, guided Sri Lanka’s chase.

Earlier, England’s recovery was led by Smith, who scored 52 runs off the last 19 balls he faced, including 20 runs from a single over by Milan Rathnayake, helping England’s second innings recover from a precarious 82 for 7 to a total of 140 for 8. Despite some brief rain interruptions, Vishwa Fernando’s bowling shone in the bright conditions.

By the time Olly Stone was dismissed by Lahiru Kumara for his fourth wicket. Asitha Fernando had Shoaib Bashir caught behind by Nishan Madushka (who was standing in for the injured Dinesh Chandimal). England had built a substantial lead of 218 runs.

Sri Lanka had briefly hoped for a comeback after taking two early wickets in the extended morning session, which had been delayed due to bad weather on the first two days. Duckett and Pope fell cheaply, giving Sri Lanka some hope.

Key Moments and Wickets Drive England’s Advantage

Dan Lawrence provided some resistance by hitting a six-over long-off and then cutting a boundary through point. However, he was dismissed after scoring a series-best 36 when a delivery from Kumara moved away late and edged his bat, allowing Chandimal to take the catch.

Vishwa Fernando immediately impacted in the 15th over with a brilliant inswinging yorker that struck Joe Root on the pad, leading to a crucial wicket.

Harry Brook had faced criticism for his frustrated reaction when Sri Lanka bowled outside off stump to him in the first innings. This time, he fell victim to another precise late inswinger from Vishwa Fernando, who struck his front pad with pinpoint accuracy on the leg stump.

Lahiru Kumara dismissed Chris Woakes for a duck. Still, shortly after, Dinesh Chandimal had to leave the field after injuring his lower back while attempting to stop a wayward delivery from Kumara. Gus Atkinson, who had replaced Chandimal, was dismissed by Milan Rathnayake for just 1 run.

Earlier in the day, when Sri Lanka resumed at 211 for 5, England’s bowlers, Hull and Stone, worked hard to maintain their advantage. Hull made up for a missed catch the previous evening by dismissing Sri Lanka’s captain, Dhananjaya de Silva, for 69 with his 11th delivery of the day. This dismissal sparked a collapse, with Sri Lanka losing five wickets for just 52 runs in 13.3 overs. Hull, Stone, and Woakes took four of those wickets. At the same time, Atkinson, briefly off the field with a thigh injury, eventually returned to bowl in the fourth innings.