Sri Lanka have taken a commanding place towards England within the third Check match at The Oval, with a mix of disciplined bowling and an aggressive batting show led by Pathum Nissanka. As of the tip of Day 3, Sri Lanka want simply 125 runs to safe a historic victory, having closed the day at 94 for 1 of their second innings.
Sri Lanka bowls out England for 156
The match, which started on September 6, has seen a dramatic flip of occasions. After Sri Lanka had been bowled out for 263 of their first innings, England managed to construct a 62-run lead by scoring 325. Nonetheless, the English batting lineup faltered of their second innings, collapsing to 82 for 7 at one level, earlier than recovering barely to complete at 156 all out. Jamie Smith’s counter attacking 67 was essential in offering some resistance towards a potent Sri Lankan bowling assault led by Lahiru Kumara and Vishwa Fernando, who took 4 for 21 and three for 40, respectively.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers had been in fantastic kind, executing their plans with precision. Kumara’s early breakthroughs in England’s second innings had been pivotal, as he dismantled the highest order together with his tempo and accuracy. Fernando supported him nicely, sustaining stress and taking key wickets to make sure that England’s innings didn’t achieve momentum. The Sri Lankan bowlers capitalized on the overcast circumstances, which aided their seam and swing bowling, making it troublesome for the English batters to settle.
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Pathum Nissanka’s stellar efficiency
Nissanka emerged as a standout performer for Sri Lanka, scoring an unbeaten 53 runs off simply 44 balls within the second innings. His aggressive strategy set the tone for the chase, as he has been capable of finding boundaries with ease. Alongside Kusal Mendis, who was on the crease with 30 not out, Nissanka gave Sri Lanka a strong begin of their pursuit of 219 runs for victory.
The opening partnership between Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne was essential, as they added 39 runs earlier than Karunaratne was despatched again by Chris Woakes for 8. Nissanka’s means to rotate the strike and discover gaps was instrumental in retaining the scoreboard ticking, and he shall be key to Sri Lanka’s hopes of reaching their first Check victory over England since 2014.
Wonderful day for Sri Lanka they usually have an awesome probability to win one other Check in England and finish the sequence on a excessive | https://t.co/hg6vhHrifr#cricket #ENGvSL #Assessments #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/DvmU0CSIyH
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) September 9, 2024
England’s battle
England’s batting woes have been a significant speaking level on this Check. After a strong first essay, their second innings collapse has raised questions on their batting depth and resilience. The group, which was seeking to full a clear sweep over Sri Lanka after successful the primary two Assessments, now finds itself underneath stress to defend a modest complete. The batting lineup, which has been dominant in earlier matches, might want to regroup rapidly to keep away from a disappointing finish to the sequence.
Highlights are right here ✅
Watch the most effective of the motion from Day 3 at The Kia Oval 👇 pic.twitter.com/0ZnylulcXS
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 8, 2024
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