Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva led a vital fightback with an unbeaten century stand, keeping Sri Lanka in the game against England after early wickets on a disrupted second day of the third Test at The Oval.
After batting for just 44.1 overs on the opening day, England resumed their first innings on 221/3. After completing the over from the first day, Lahiru Kumara was replaced by Milan Rathnayake, and the change nearly worked immediately.
Harry Brook, who was on 12, was dropped at deep backward point by Asitha Fernando when he attempted to loft a full delivery over extra cover. Along with Pope, Brook extended the 4th wicket partnership to 70 runs, but he couldn’t capitalize on the dropped catch and was brilliantly caught by Kamindu Mendis off Rathnayake.
The Lankan seamers were more disciplined with their lines and lengths than they were on the previous day, leading to the dismissal of keeper-batter Jamie Smith, courtesy of Vishwa Fernando.
Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva made a surprising decision to use his off-spin instead of the pacers to tackle the England tail. Pope, however, continued to score freely after his century, reaching 150 for the third time in Test cricket.
De Silva’s plan paid off, as he struck twice in two overs, with Rathnayake holding onto catches at cover and mid-wicket. Finally, Vishwa removed the English captain after a brilliant 154-run knock, which came at nearly a run-a-ball and included 19 fours and 2 sixes.
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England were eventually bowled out for 325, thanks to Sri Lanka’s spirited comeback in the second hour of the morning, during which the hosts lost their last six wickets for just 35 runs.
Rathnayake, after conceding 25 runs in his first three overs, made a strong recovery, finishing with 3 wickets for 56 runs. Dhananjaya, Vishwa, and Kumara also claimed two wickets apiece.
The opening stand between Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne lasted only 34 runs, with the former being run out after Nissanka called for a risky single.
Nissanka had been finding boundaries from the start and was joined by Kusal Mendis, who also struck three fours to gain some confidence. However, Woakes dismissed Mendis, who has struggled for runs throughout the series.
Nissanka showed his class, bringing up his 6th Test fifty off just 40 balls. But suddenly, Sri Lanka lost three quick wickets, including the opener for a well-made 64 off only 51 balls.
At 5/93, the last two recognized batters, skipper Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis, were left to fight with 232 runs still needed. Kamindu found regular boundaries early in his innings while Dhananjaya played cautiously.
They survived till the tea break, and with the light fading, the home side was forced to rely on spinners. The two most consistent batters for Sri Lanka during this tour took advantage, especially against Shoaib Bashir and Dan Lawrence, milking runs.
Dhananjaya reached his fifty first, and Kamindu followed shortly after as they stitched together a century stand. Bad light eventually stopped play after 45 overs, and it didn’t improve enough for a resumption.
At stumps, the pair had put together an unbeaten 118-run partnership for the 6th wicket, ensuring no further damage as Sri Lanka trailed by 114 runs.
Stumps
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Duckett | c Dinesh Chandimal b Milan Rathnayake | 86 | 79 | 9 | 2 | 108.86 |
| Dan Lawrence | c Pathum Nissanka b Lahiru Kumara | 5 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 23.81 |
| Ollie Pope | c Dimuth Karunaratne b Vishwa Fernando | 154 | 156 | 19 | 2 | 98.72 |
| Joe Root | c Vishwa Fernando b Lahiru Kumara | 13 | 48 | 1 | 0 | 27.08 |
| Harry Brook | c Kusal Mendis b Milan Rathnayake | 19 | 39 | 1 | 0 | 48.72 |
| Jamie Smith | c Kusal Mendis b Vishwa Fernando | 16 | 31 | 2 | 0 | 51.61 |
| Chris Woakes | c Milan Rathnayake b Dhananjaya de Silva | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Gus Atkinson | c Milan Rathnayake b Dhananjaya de Silva | 5 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 41.67 |
| Olly Stone | not out | 15 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 125.00 |
| Josh Hul | c Dhananjaya de Silva b Asitha Fernando | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 |
| Shoaib Bashir | c Lahiru Kumara b Milan Rathnayake | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Extras | 7 (b 4 , lb 2 , nb 0, w 1, pen 0) |
| Total | 325/10 (69.1 Overs, RR: 4.7) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asitha Fernando | 20 | 0 | 88 | 1 | 4.40 | |
| Vishwa Fernando | 13 | 0 | 46 | 2 | 3.54 | |
| Lahiru Kumara | 16 | 1 | 97 | 2 | 6.06 | |
| Milan Rathnayake | 13.1 | 2 | 56 | 2 | 4.27 | |
| Angelo Mathews | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 4.67 | |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | 4 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 4.50 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | c Chris Woakes b Josh Hull | 64 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 125.49 |
| Dimuth Karunaratne | run out (Olly Stone) | 9 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 56.25 |
| Kusal Mendis | c Harry Brook b Chris Woakes | 14 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 107.69 |
| Angelo Mathews | c Ollie Pope b Olly Stone | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 27.27 |
| Dinesh Chandimal | lbw b Olly Stone | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | not out | 64 | 106 | 0 | 0 | 60.38 |
| Kamindu Mendis | not out | 54 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 77.14 |
| Extras | 3 (b 0 , lb 1 , nb 1, w 1, pen 0) |
| Total | 211/5 (45 Overs, RR: 4.69) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Woakes | 9 | 0 | 41 | 1 | 4.56 | |
| Gus Atkinson | 9 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 5.11 | |
| Josh Hull | 5 | 0 | 26 | 1 | 5.20 | |
| Olly Stone | 5 | 0 | 28 | 2 | 5.60 | |
| Shoaib Bashir | 9 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 3.22 | |
| Dan Lawrence | 6 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 4.83 | |
| Joe Root | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 5.50 | |
