PATHUM Nissanka's unbeaten fifty has put Sri Lanka in a strong position to win the third Test against England at the Oval. The team was 94-1 when bad light ended play on the third day, leaving them 125 runs short of a target of 219. A win would break their seven-match losing streak against England.
Sri Lanka's only loss was captain Dimuth Karunaratne, caught and bowled by Chris Woakes for eight. Nissanka, who had earlier scored 64 in the first innings, remained unbeaten on 53, having struck seven boundaries in 42 balls. Kusal Mendis supported with an unbeaten 30, capitalising on several loose deliveries and hitting boundaries.
England had been bowled out for 156, largely due to Jamie Smith's counter-attacking 67 after they collapsed to 82-7, losing five wickets for 26 runs. Despite Smith's efforts, England's innings ended in 34 overs.
Paul Collingwood, England's assistant coach, acknowledged the difficult position England was in. "It certainly hasn't been our best day of the summer," he told the BBC. "We've managed to find ways out of tricky situations, and we'll need to do so again tomorrow. Sri Lanka deserves credit for their accurate bowling."
Smith was dismissed just before tea when he chipped a Vishwa Fernando delivery to short midwicket, ending his 50-ball knock, which included 10 fours and a six. Vishwa Fernando finished with figures of 3-40, while Lahiru Kumara took 4-21 in seven overs.
Sri Lanka's fast-bowling coach, Aaqib Javed, praised the bowlers for adapting to England's aggressive style. "They put pressure on us with their approach, but the bowlers learned from their mistakes and bounced back well in the second innings," he said.
England struggled with the bat, with Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope both falling for seven. Dan Lawrence, promoted to open due to Zak Crawley's injury, scored a quick 35 before being caught behind off Kumara. Joe Root's square-driven four off Vishwa Fernando moved him past Kumar Sangakkara in the all-time Test runs list, but he was dismissed lbw two balls later by a fine inswinging yorker.
Olly Stone and Josh Hull did much of the damage in Sri Lanka’s first innings, as they lost their last five wickets for 52 runs after resuming on 211-5.
(With inputs from AFP)
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