Sri Lanka registered a historic victory towards England within the third and last Take a look at at The Kennington Oval, chasing down 219 runs to safe their first Take a look at win by 8 wickets over England in a decade. Though the sequence ended 2-1 in favor of England, Sri Lanka’s outstanding victory within the last match left an indelible mark on the sequence and offered a much-needed morale enhance for the staff.
The historic 1998 Oval win
Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka’s interim coach and former cricket legend, was brimming with pleasure as he addressed the post-match presentation. Reflecting on the hard-fought win, he couldn’t assist however evaluate it to a different iconic second in Sri Lankan cricket: the well-known Take a look at win at The Oval again in 1998, the place he performed a starring position. The query posed to Jayasuriya about that 1998 victory introduced again a wave of nostalgia, particularly because the former captain had scored a double century in that match.
Jayasuriya reminisced a couple of memorable win 27 years in the past at The Oval, the place Arjuna Ranatunga led the staff, Muthiah Muralidaran took 16 wickets, he scored a double-century, and Aravinda de Silva made 150.
“About 27 years in the past, we received right here, beneath Arjuna Ranatunga. Murali (Muthiah Muralidaran) bought about 16 wickets, I bought a double-hundred, Aravinda [de Silva] bought a 150, It’s a spot we’ll always remember – The Oval,” Jayasuriya fondly recalled
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Recreating the historical past
Whereas the 1998 victory stays etched in Sri Lankan cricket folklore, Jayasuriya was fast to differentiate the 2 triumphs, highlighting the distinctive challenges confronted by the present staff in 2024.
The previous cricketer additional acknowledged that the staff performed beneath difficult circumstances with grass, chilly climate, and cloudy skies. He praised the fielders for his or her efficiency and the batsmen for stepping up within the second innings.
“However these guys performed in several circumstances altogether, It was powerful circumstances, with the grass, the climate, and every little thing was cloudy and chilly. All credit score to those boys. The fielders fielded properly, and the batsmen took accountability within the second innings,” Jayasuriya famous.
Jayasuriya praised the staff’s determination to area a fast-bowling-heavy assault, a daring transfer that paid off handsomely given the tough English circumstances.
“It’s the primary time we went with 4 quick bowlers, and we went with that due to the circumstances right here, and all of them went past 100% of their efforts,” he mentioned.
The previous opener may hardly comprise his admiration for the staff’s disciplined strategy, significantly within the second innings, once they bowled England out for a meager rating.
“Our second-innings bowling was outstanding – they caught to the plan and bought them out in beneath 35 overs, all out for a bit greater than 150,” the left-handed batter mentioned.
In evaluating the 2 Oval victories, Jayasuriya’s message was clear: whereas the 1998 win was a private and nationwide milestone, the 2024 triumph stands as a testomony to the evolution of Sri Lankan cricket and the flexibility of this new technology to beat powerful circumstances on overseas soil.
