Spirited Sri Lanka Win at The Oval Against Lacklustre England

For the third Test, at The Oval, England looked to complete a clean sweep for the summer, winning six out of six Tests. They made just one change from Lord’s giving a debut to 6’7” Josh Hull of Leicestershire, who came in for Matthew Potts. Since the start of last summer, the left-arm paceman has played just nine Championship games for his county, taking 11 wickets at an average of 84.54, picking up only two wickets in three matches this summer. So this felt very much an intuitive pick on the basis of his potential, rather than a case of someone who had been knocking loudly on the selectors’ door. But the Bazball era has delivered plenty of intuitive selections who have delivered. That said, for those who have been achieving week in and week out on the county circuit, it must have been a frustrating moment. Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and, under overcast conditions, chose to field first, looking to utilise his four seamers. Sri Lanka made two changes, leaving out opener Madushka Fernando, and bringing back Kusal Mendis, resulting in Pathum Nissanka moving up to open the batting. Left-armer Vishwa Fernando also returned to the side, with Jayasuriya omitted, meaning the tourists were playing without a frontline spinner.

Despite Ben Duckett getting off to his usual flying start, Dan Lawrence was caught in at least two minds by Lahiru Kumara and lobbed one up to gully to fall for 5, continuing his disappointing stint as an opener. It brought Ollie Pope to the crease, on a ground where he averages more than 80 in first-class cricket, but he needed some runs now, and he was quickly into his stride. Duckett raced to his fifty off only 48 balls. Soon after, the umpires took the players off, at 76 for one after 15 overs, and that was it till 3.10.

When play resumed, England continued to motor along, with not enough pressure created by the bowlers, and the fifty partnership came up in 58 balls. Duckett began to play his reverse scoops and ramps, before getting the benefit of umpire’s call on a DRS review for LBW. But the reverse scoop proved his undoing, caught behind off the bowling of Milan Rathnayake for 86 off 79 balls. Joe Root was next in, and he was there when Pope went to fifty off 58 balls, but Root found it tough to score, so Pope was responsible for the bulk of their fifty partnership in 70 balls. Almost immediately after, Root pulled Kumara down to fine leg and England’s best batter was out for 13. At tea, it was 194 for three.

In the evening, Pope didn’t take long to bring up his century off just 102 balls, his first at his home ground but his seventh overall and – uniquely – each of them has come against a different side. Soon after, the umpires called them off for bad light, with England on 221 for three, and that was it for the day.

Day Two started with Brook being spared when a straightforward catch was dropped in the deep by Asitha Fernando, but there was a bit of movement to encourage the bowlers. The fifty partnership arrived after 60 balls, with Pope very much the dominant partner. Brook’s reprieve didn’t count for much as he drilled one to Kamindu Mendis at cover off Rathnayake. Pope survived an LBW appeal when DRS showed the ball pitching outside leg by the narrowest of margins. Jamie Smith was then superbly caught at mid-wicket off Vishwa Fernando to make it 290 for five. Pope nudged a single to bring up his 150 off only 151 balls. Chris Woakes also fell on the drive, caught by Rathnayake off de Silva, and then Gus Atkinson holed out off the same bowler, before Pope was finally out on 154, also caught in the deep on the leg side, but off Vishwa Fernando. Hull was caught for 2 on his maiden innings, mistiming a pull to square leg, and finally Shoaib Bashir lofted one to mid-off and gave Rathnayake his third wicket. England were all out for 325, having lost their last six wickets for just 35 runs in under ten overs; it had been frantic, and none too bright, cricket by the hosts.

Sri Lanka got off to a brisk start, with Nissanka being particularly positive, until he called a suicidal single and Olly Stone’s direct hit accounted for Dimuth Karunaratne. England were conceding at more than six an over, until Kusal Mendis edged Woakes to Brook. Nissanka reached his fifty off only 40 balls – the fastest ever by a Sri Lankan against England. In his first over, Stone had Angelo Mathews caught in the gully, and then Hull took his maiden wicket, thanks to a great diving catch by Woakes at extra-cover and Nissanka was out for 64. Soon after Dinesh Chandimal was LBW to Stone without scoring and Sri Lanka were in trouble again, at 93 for five. That brought out the in-form Kamindu Mendis to join de Silva and, after a flurry of early runs, the pair were soon under pressure as the ball began to do a bit more and the light deteriorated. At tea, it was 142 for five.

After the break, it was deemed too dark for pace, which meant Bashir was on to bowl. The fifty partnership soon followed, after 75 balls. Hull then dropped one of the simplest catches you’re likely to see at mid-on, giving de Silva a life on 23. De Silva made them pay, reaching his fifty in 81 balls; he and Mendis then completed their hundred partnership off 147 balls, and England appeared to be losing their strong position by having to bowl the spinners. Mendis went to his fifty off 60 balls, with Sri Lanka now beyond 200 and the game in the balance. The light deteriorated further and the players came off, so the day ended with Sri Lanka on 211 for five.

With the game in the balance, most commentators would have said the first session of the day could be the decisive one and so it seemed to be initially. Soon enough, Hull removed de Silva with a short ball that was lofted down to fine leg and the Sri Lanka captain was out for 69, before 30 minutes were lost to the rain. When the players returned to the middle, Woakes bowled a lovely ball across Kamindu Mendis, which was pouched by Root. Hull then accounted for Vishwa Fernando, trapping him LBW with a nice inswinger. Hull could have had a fourth wicket when Kumara was dropped in the deep by Stone off a regulation chance. Stone redeemed himself by getting Rathnayake, who edged to the keeper, and then Bashir took the final wicket when Asitha Fernando tried to reverse sweep him, only to glove it to the keeper. Sri Lanka were all out for 263, giving England a very handy 62-run lead after the first innings. All that remained now was to pile up a good total to bat the tourists out of contention.

England came out to bat with cavalier intent, Lawrence getting off the mark by moving a foot outside leg and hammering it through the covers. But in the third over Duckett mistimed one to mid-on and fell for 7. Pope then chopped Kumara onto his stumps and at lunch England were 35 for two. After the break, Lawrence continued his frenetic style, walking across his stumps and only just avoided being bowled round his legs. Then he launched one for six and, when he tried to repeat it, aiming to slog Kumara out of the ground, he got a thin edge and was out for 35. As an attempt to hold on to an England place, it was a very odd way of going about it. When Root went to 12, he moved past Kumar Sangakkara into sixth place in the all-time leading Test runscorers, with 12,402 – he’d started the summer in tenth place, such has been his form. But then he was LBW with a low full toss from Vishwa Fernando. England were now 66 for four, a lead of 128, and in trouble.

With the ball doing plenty, England were looking vulnerable and Sri Lanka sensed their moment. Vishwa struck in exactly the same way to remove Root’s fellow Yorkshireman Brook. Woakes was undone by Kumara, edging to the keeper without scoring. A diving take by Chandimal forced him off the pitch, requiring a substitute keeper, Madushka. Atkinson was also LBW to Rathnayake, and England were 82 for seven, deep in the mire – they’d lost five wickets for just 26 runs. Smith decided he had to go for it, having made 15 off 31 balls, he hit 20 off the next six and went to his fifty off 43 balls (36 runs coming in 12 deliveries). The fifty partnership with Stone took 40 balls, with Stone scoring 5 in 25 balls. Smith’s change of gear saw him add 52 runs off 18, but then on the stroke of tea, he mistimed one to Kusal Mendis off Vishwa and he was out for 67 and England went in on 140 for eight, with Sri Lanka on top.

Stone fell soon after the break, edging Kumara to Madushka, then Asitha found Bashir’s glove and England were all out for 156, leaving Sri Lanka to chase 219 – but there had been only four higher successful run-chases on this ground, to put that modest target into perspective. But could a lethargic England reclaim the momentum from a fired-up Sri Lanka?

It looked unlikely, and that quickly became even more doubtful when Nissanka took the attack to England, playing positive but measured attacking cricket, a balance most of England’s batters had struggled to find. Karunaratne soon became the fourth Sri Lankan to score 7000 Test runs, but it was Nissanka doing the damage, as England’s bowlers looked largely toothless and devoid of a plan. Pope’s tenth consecutive DRS review in the field was fruitless – an area he will need to improve if the job ever becomes his. Karunaratne edged onto his pads and Woakes dived forward to take the catch off his own bowling. It continued to be a Bazball-style runchase, with the runs coming at about six an over. Nissanka took only 42 deliveries to bring up his fifty, before the fifty partnership with Kusal Mendis came after 43 balls, and at the close Sri Lanka 94 for one.

England needed two or three early wickets to have any chance, and they got their first glimmer of hope when Bashir took a diving catch at fine leg to remove Kusal off Atkinson: 108 for two. But Mathews knows how to deal with situations like this, though even he struggled at the start. When the fifty partnership arrived after 68 balls, the result of the match seemed inevitable, especially as Bashir hadn’t been able to stem the flow of runs. Nissaka completed his second Test century off 107 balls, the fastest ever by a Sri Lankan against England, and not long after he and Mathews completed their hundred partnership in 117 deliveries. England were soon put out of their misery as the Sri Lanka completed an eight-wicket victory, with Nissanka unbeaten on 127 as they finished on 219 for two; unsurprisingly he was named Player of the Match. It was a disappointing end to the Test summer for England, but Sri Lanka had been excellent and their blend of experience and bright, young stars look to have plenty of potential; given two or three matches to acclimatise, one suspects this series might have been much closer. Meanwhile, England can get back to winning ways when they start their next series, in Pakistan, in four weeks’ time – no rest these days for international cricketers, especially for any who have to join the white-ball side to take on Australia in the interim.