3rd Test
Day-2 Evening Session Highlights:
Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis as well as the bowlers has helped Sri Lanka team to recover
At The Stumps of Day-2:
England scored 325 (1st Innings), where as Sri Lanka scored 211/5 (1st Innings).
So, finally England lead by 114 runs.
The second day of the final Test against England proved to be Sri Lanka’s best day of the series as they delivered a strong performance at The Oval.
The bowlers made a significant comeback in the morning session, dismissing England for 325 after the hosts had looked set to post a total well over 400.
However, Sri Lanka experienced a familiar collapse, slipping from 70/1 to 93/5, before Dhananjaya de Silva (64*) and Kamindu Mendis (54*) combined for an unbeaten 118-run stand to restore stability.
Bad light forced an early end to the day, with stumps being called an hour ahead of schedule.
During the final session, de Silva and Mendis took advantage of England’s spin attack under the fading light, scoring runs smoothly despite the occasional challenging delivery.
De Silva was fortunate to survive a missed catch by debutant Josh Hull off Shoaib Bashir, but he and Mendis continued their impressive performances, with de Silva finishing unbeaten.
England had an inconsistent day with the ball.
After a wayward start allowed Sri Lanka to gain momentum, particularly through Pathum Nissanka’s fifty, the hosts found their rhythm and triggered a collapse.
Despite various field placements and bowling changes by skipper Ollie Pope, he was unable to break the partnership between de Silva and Mendis.
By the close of play, the deficit was reduced to 114 runs, setting up a potentially decisive final session.
The Dhananjaya-Mendis partnership was a fitting end to a day where Sri Lanka’s bowlers had dominated.
Unlike the previous day’s performance, the pacers were on point from the start, ensuring England couldn’t build a large total.
While Pope’s seventh Test century and the fastest-ever 150 at The Oval were highlights for England, Sri Lanka’s bowlers controlled the game.
Although it seemed at one point that their efforts might be in vain, de Silva and Mendis turned the tide with their resilient stand.
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