• Home
  • Match Hub
  • Eng Vs Sl 2024 3Rd Test Match Highlights Key Moments And Videos

ENG vs SL 2024, 3rd Test: Match Highlights, Key Moments And Videos

Sri Lanka consigned a 'BazBall' reformed England to a rare defeat (x.com)Sri Lanka consigned a 'BazBall' reformed England to a rare defeat (x.com)

Sri Lanka stunned serial ‘BazBallers’ England at the Kennington Oval by eight wickets. Regardless, the Ollie Pope-led English group sealed the three-match Test series by a 2-1 margin.

Here’s the timeline of how ENG vs SL 3rd Test panned out in London:

ENG vs SL Highlights: Ollie Pope Sets Off With 154 Before Big English Collapse

England opener Ben Duckett hauled 86 runs from just 79 balls with nine boundaries and a couple of sixes at the top of the order. The dashing left-hander shared a 45-run opening stand with Dan Lawrence, and another 95 runs with captain and centurion Ollie Pope.

After the departure of Duckett courtesy of Milan Rathnayake, captain Pope strengthened England’s stronghold with a fluent 154 off 156 balls. With an innings defined by pure elegance, Pope became the first player in history to plunder first seven Test tons against seven different rivals.

England, however, failed to carry the momentum as they lost their final seven wickets for just 64 runs to slip from 261-3 to 325 all out. Sri Lankan bowlers Milan Rathnayake (3/56) and Dhananjaya de Silva (2-18) hogged the limelight with the ball by claiming five wickets between them. Vishwa Fernando and Lahiru Kumara also chipped in with two wickets each.

ENG vs SL Highlights: Hull Impresses On Debut, But Three 60s Keep SL Afloat

English bowlers instantly found themselves in unfamiliar territory as the visiting Sri Lankan line-up decided to employ the hosts’ tried-and-tested ‘BazBall’ game. Opening batter Pathum Nissanka, in particular, belted 64 runs from just 51 balls despite constantly losing partners at the other end to Chris Woakes and Olly Stone.

Once slipped to 93-5, visiting captain Dhananjaya de Silva shared a fighting 127-run partnership with Kamindu Mendis in just 30 overs to reduce the Sri Lankan deficit. Both cricketers carted swift 60s each before an imminent collapse blew away the Sri Lankan tail at 263, away from England’s first innings total by 62 vital runs.

For the hosts, lanky debutant Josh Hull impressed with three wickets in 11 overs. Olly Stone (3-35) and Chris Woakes (2-42) also delivered timely breakthroughs on either sides of Dhananjaya and Kamindu’s sixth-wicket defiance.

ENG vs SL Highlights: Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando Set Up Exciting Chase

The English top-order failed to capitalise over their 62-run lead by crashing to 82-7 within the first 24 overs of their second innings. Visiting pacemen Lahiru Kumara (4-21) and Vishwa Fernando (3-40) kept the English top-order in check by claiming seven wickets between them. New-ball operators Asitha Fernando and Milan Rathnayake also accounted for the likes of Ben Duckett and Gus Atkinson respectively.

At 82-7, wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith counterpunched with a whirlwind 50-ball 67 while batting with the tail. His innings helped England surpass the 150-run mark before they were bundled out for 156 in 34 overs to set up a 219-run target for the visitors.

ENG vs SL Highlights: Pathum Nissanka Tonks 127* In Record SL Win

Chasing 219 for a win, Sri Lankan opener Dimuth Karunaratne was caught and bowled by Chris Woakes for a sluggish eight earlier in the innings. Number three batter Kusal Mendis (39 off 37) also failed to capitalize on his start as he was done-in by a bouncer from Gus Atkinson at 108-2.

Unbeaten opener Pathum Nissanka, however, marched on with senior teammate Angelo Mathews to take Sri Lanka to their first Test win in England in over a decade. Nissanka listed a fluent 127* at better than run-a-ball with 13 boundaries and two sixes. He also notched up the winning runs in just 40.3 overs as Sri Lanka made it 1-2 in the series.