Pathum Nissanka‘s excellent unbeaten fifty left Sri Lanka eyeing a memorable win over England because the third Check on the Oval headed for a dramatic end. Sri Lanka have been 94-1 when dangerous mild led to an early shut on Sunday’s third day, needing an extra 125 runs to succeed in a victory goal of 219 that might finish a run of seven successive Check defeats by England. Dimuth Karunaratne was caught and bowled by Chris Woakes for eight when a drive ballooned off his pad. However fellow opener Nissanka, who made 64 in Sri Lanka’s first innings, was 53 not out having gone to his second fifty of the match in type when he blazed debutant left-arm fast Josh Hull by means of the covers for a seventh 4 in 42 balls confronted.
The recalled Kusal Mendis, in the meantime, pounced on quite a few unfastened deliveries throughout an unbeaten 30 that includes 24 runs in boundaries.
That Sri Lanka have been chasing a goal in extra of 200 was primarily all the way down to Jamie Smith‘s excellent counter-attacking 67 that rescued England from a dramatic collapse.
England, already 2-0 up on this three-match collection, misplaced 5 wickets for 26 runs in slumping to 82-7 earlier than wicketkeeper Smith’s dashing show on his Surrey dwelling floor helped them recuperate to 156 all out.
His innings left England, who routed the West Indies 3-0 earlier within the season, with renewed hope of a primary dwelling Check clear sweep since 2004 when Michael Vaughan led them to seven successive wins.
Smith fell on the stroke of tea when he chipped Vishwa Fernando to quick midwicket to finish a superb 50-ball innings that includes 10 fours and a six.
Left-arm fast Vishwa Fernando, gaining prodigious swing, additionally captured the prize scalp of Joe Root for simply 12 on his technique to 3-40, with Lahiru Kumara having fun with a advantageous return of 4-21 in seven overs.
Former England captains Michael Vaughan and Alastair Prepare dinner had criticised the hosts for sloppy batting whereas slumping from 221-3 to 325 all out of their first innings.
It’s unlikely both of the previous batsmen would have been impressed by opener Ben Duckett holing out for seven off Asitha Fernando.
Ollie Pope, contemporary from 154 in England’s first innings — his first Check century since taking on as captain from the injured Ben Stokes — additionally fell for seven by chopping on to Kumara.
Dan Lawrence, a middle-order batsman by commerce, had been promoted to open this collection instead of the injured Zak Crawley.
The 27-year-old had but to get the 30s in 4 innings towards Sri Lanka and it was the same story on Sunday for all he lofted Asitha Fernando for six.
Lawrence, nonetheless, chanced his luck as soon as too usually when he charged at Kumara solely to edge behind to wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal for a run-a-ball 35 that ended up being England’s second-top rating of the innings.
Root’s square-driven boundary off Vishwa Fernando meant he surpassed Sri Lanka nice Kumar Sangakkara‘s tally of 12,400 Check runs to enter sixth place within the all-time record.
Two balls later, nonetheless, Vishwa Fernando’s wonderful inswinging yorker struck Root on the boot and he was lbw.
Brook was additionally lbw to a different advantageous inswinger from Vishwa Fernando.
Smith counter-attacked, scoring 20 runs in a single over from quick bowler Milan Rathnayake that featured a flashing lower for 4 and crunching pull for six off successive deliveries.
He additionally lofted Rathnayake down the bottom for 4 earlier than ending the over by punching the paceman by means of the covers for one more boundary.
Earlier, Olly Stone and 20-year-old fast Hull did the majority of the injury as Sri Lanka, who resumed on 211-5, misplaced their final 5 first-innings wickets for 52 runs in 16.2 overs, with captain Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis unable so as to add signficantly to their in a single day unbeaten fifties.
Stone took 3-35 in 9 overs and the towering Hull 3-53 in 11.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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