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 top 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 have been bowled out for 263 of their first innings, England managed to construct a 62-run lead by scoring 325. Nevertheless, 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 have been in positive type, executing their plans with precision. Kumara’s early breakthroughs in England’s second innings have been pivotal, as he dismantled the highest order together with his tempo and accuracy. Fernando supported him properly, sustaining strain 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 method 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 stable 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 maintaining the scoreboard ticking, and he will probably be key to Sri Lanka’s hopes of attaining their first Check victory over England since 2014.
Wonderful day for Sri Lanka and so they have an important probability to win one other Check in England and finish the sequence on a excessive | https://t.co/hg6vhHrifr#cricket #ENGvSL #Checks #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/DvmU0CSIyH
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) September 9, 2024
England’s battle
England’s batting woes have been a serious speaking level on this Check. After a stable first essay, their second innings collapse has raised questions on their batting depth and resilience. The staff, which was seeking to full a clear sweep over Sri Lanka after profitable the primary two Checks, now finds itself below strain to defend a modest complete. The batting lineup, which has been dominant in earlier matches, might want to regroup shortly 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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