Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka hit the winning runs as he fashioned a memorable win for the tourists in the 3rd and final Test against England at The Oval. The right-hander, who finished unbeaten on 127, struck a boundary off Shoaib Bashir's bowling through the off side and raised his bat to mark Sri Lanka's fourth Test win in England. Nissanka let out a beaming smile after hitting the winning runs.
Nissanka had finished unbeaten on 53 off 44 deliveries on day 3 as the tourists were chasing a modest yet tricky 219 for victory. The right-handed batter, along with Kusal Mendis, had lifted Sri Lanka to 94-1 by the end of day 3. He batted with as much poise on day 4 as Sri Lanka lost only one wicket and cruised to victory with eight wickets to spare.
Nissanka also became the first Sri Lankan batter to score a fourth-innings century on English soil. The Island nation has also pipped England in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings, jumping to 5th spot, with ther opposition at 6th.
"It was slightly difficult in the morning" - Pathum Nissanka
At the post-match presentation, Nissanka stated that his positive mindset went a long way in negating tricky conditions. He claimed:
" It was a great opportunity to play in England. Enjoyed that innings. It was slightly difficult in the morning but I had a positive mindset and went with that. Just wanted to play my normal game."
