Sri Lanka is on the verge of a historic Test match victory, needing only 125 more runs to defeat England in the third and final Test at The Oval. At the close of play on the third day, Sri Lanka had reached 94 for the loss of one wicket in their second innings, chasing a target of 219 runs.
Opener Pathum Nissanka remains unbeaten on 53, with Kusal Mendis at 30 not out, providing Sri Lanka with a strong chance to break their 10-year Test drought against England. The only wicket to fall in the second innings was that of captain Dimuth Karunaratne, who managed to score just 8 runs before being dismissed.
England posted 325 runs in their first innings, while Sri Lanka replied with 263, leaving England with a lead of 62 runs. However, England struggled in their second innings, managing only 156 runs, which set a modest target of 219 for Sri Lanka to chase.
A victory today (09), on the fourth day of the match, would mark Sri Lanka’s first Test win against England since their famous victory in Leeds in 2014. Since then, Sri Lanka has played 10 Test matches against England, losing all except one drawn match at Lord’s in 2016.
This is only Sri Lanka’s second-ever Test at The Oval, with their last match at this venue being 26 years ago in 1998. On that occasion, Sri Lanka, led by Arjuna Ranatunga, secured a dominant 10-wicket victory, a match that remains a milestone in Sri Lankan cricket history. A win today would undoubtedly be another landmark moment for the island nation.
