Nissanka’s Century Sends England to Crushing Defeat.

Posted 2 months ago

England suffered their worst defeat under Brendon McCullum as Pathum Nissanka’s stunning century led Sri Lanka to a memorable victory at The Kia Oval.

England missed the chance to achieve a perfect home summer record for the first time in 20 years, falling short with a careless performance.

Despite losing the series 2-1, Sri Lanka ended a 10-match winless streak against England, bringing a measure of success to their challenging tour.

England’s lackluster performance on the second and third days left them struggling on day four. Sri Lanka resumed with 94-1, needing 125 more runs to reach their target of 219.

Gus Atkinson's bounce-out of Kusal Mendis for 39, aided by Shoaib Bashir’s excellent catch, was a highlight, but the chase was steadied by Nissanka and Angelo Matthews.

Nissanka, who had already reached his century, survived a missed catch opportunity by Bashir, and finished unbeaten on a superb 127.

Matthews added 32, and their unbroken 111-run partnership secured Sri Lanka’s eight-wicket victory and only their fourth Test win in England.