ENG vs SL: De Silva lauds hundred hero Nissanka as Sri Lanka ends England drought

The victory was a significant moment for Sri Lanka whose last Test-match win over England was a 100-run success at Headingley back in 2014.

Pathum Nissanka made 127 not out as Sri Lanka cruised to the target of 219, before lunch on the fourth day as it won the third Test by eight wickets.  | Photo Credit: AP

Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva said Pathum Nissanka had proved himself the “best batsman” in the country after the opener’s superb century at the Oval helped the team end its 10-year wait for a Test win over England.

Nissanka made 127 not out as Sri Lanka cruised to the target of 219, before lunch on the fourth day as it won the third Test by eight wickets. England took the three-match series 2-1 after victories at Old Trafford (by five wickets) and Lord’s (by 190 runs).

The victory was a significant moment for Sri Lanka whose last Test-match win over England was a 100-run success at Headingley back in 2014.

“This is one of the happiest moments in my career and my life,” said de Silva.

“We had a tough time in the last two weeks so to come here and get a win in English conditions against an English team, it is a very good moment for me, my team, and my country as well.”

The victory was a personal triumph for Nissanka, who only returned to Test cricket following a two-year exile at Lord’s. The 26-year-old was named player-of-the-match after also making a fine 64 in Sri Lanka’s first innings at the Oval.

“The moment he came in, he proved he is the best batsman in Sri Lanka right now,” said De Silva.

England captain Ollie Pope, meanwhile, admitted his side “shot ourselves in the foot” after two poor batting displays cost it the chance of a first home Test sweep since 2004 after a rejuvenated team overwhelmed the West Indies 3-0 earlier in the season.

“It’s been disappointing, on the third day we shot ourselves in the foot,” said England captain Ollie Pope. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Pope, on his Surrey home ground, scored his first century since stepping as skipper for the injured Ben Stokes at the start of this series.

Despite his 154, England declined from 261-3 to 325 all out in its first innings. Worse followed as it was dismissed for a mere 156 in just 34 overs second time around.

“It’s been disappointing, on the third day we shot ourselves in the foot,” said Pope.

“With the bat we weren’t good enough and, in the second innings, we weren’t up to it.”

When play resumed on Monday, Sri Lanka needed only 125 more runs for victory, while England required nine wickets.

Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson showed the strain of playing six Tests in a relatively short space of time, while the 20-year-old duo Josh Hull and Shoaib Bashir never threatened to derail Sri Lanka’s run chase.

Atkinson, who had been carrying a quad injury, was subsequently withdrawn from the one-day squad to face Australia, with Olly Stone taking his place.

Atkinson, a 26-year-old Surrey quick, made his debut during England great James Anderson’s international farewell in July and has enjoyed a sensational start to his Test career, taking 34 wickets in six matches at an average of just 20.17.

Atkinson appears set for a key role during England’s tour of Pakistan next month, with county colleague Pope saying: “Obviously there’s a few of our guys carrying a few small injuries but credit to them on the way they fronted up and cracked on.”