By Srian Obeyesekere
Pathum Nissanka batted Sri Lanka to an incredible handsome 8-wicket win over England by a magnificent unbeaten 127 in the third and final test match, the fourth on English soil, consuming just 25.3 overs on the penultimate fourth day at the Kennington Oval today.
It was of course, a consolation euphoria for Sri Lanka having already conceded the series by two previous lost tests.
But this triumph was by and large a rejenuvating adrenaline pimping ecstasy for a Sri Lankan side in a newness under a new captain in Dhananjaya de Silva more or less exploring and conquering tough opposition in trying terrain.
Thus, this conquest ridden on the heroic magnificence of Pathum Nissanka, thrust into test cricket by a quake of coincidence from a 2-year wilderness recall, all because regular the regular opener had failed in the job in the lost games, was a well earned one in bearding a high riding England on a roll of four test triumphs on the trot. More so given the ICC points earning yardstick to test team rankings, certainly a win went beyond the consolation in the battle of the teams as the 26-year old Nissanka tamed an imposing England bowling attack to submission.
The fourth day resumption, the decisive final spurt for the remaining 125 runs with Pathum Nissanka on 53 and Kusal Mendis 30, saw England bleed first blood with the latter removed adding just 9 runs.
Given Sri Lanka’s uncertain streak of tripping, it was a taxing blow. Such is that chapter that cast the right-hander to batting out such lurking perils to the bravery of his second test century in seeing Sri Lanka through to the victory post. His run charge from an overnight 53 off 44 balls filled with 7; boundaries stretched to a further 74 from 80 cameo stuff tucked with 6 more hits to the ropes with two over the top to boot.
He did find the reassuring old wine support of Angelo Mathews 32 off 61 in the sparing of 3 boundaries. The ultimate of a game won against all the odds was the bearing Nissanka infused to it. Three figures from a 2-year sidelining in the harsh rigors of the long format of cricket had served in Nissanka taking his batting into a new groove – of an achiever made for any firmat, not just one-day stuff.
In the final analysis Sri Lanka’s Player of the Match did blossom into the realms of a match winner; a match winner who had significantly followed a glowing career in the short format in which he had succeeded in etching his name as a big rainmaker in big stage business by the day.
Sri Lanka 263 (Dhananjaya 69, Kamindu 64, Nissanka 64) and 219 for 2 (Nissanka 127*) beat England 325 (Pope 154, Duckett 86) and 156 (Smith 67, Kumara 4-21, Vishwa 3-40) by eight wickets.
