Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis, and Bowlers Help Sri Lanka Fight Back

On the second day of the final Test against England at The Oval, Sri Lanka delivered their strongest performance of the series. The Sri Lankan bowlers excelled in the morning session, dismissing England for 325 after the hosts had threatened to score over 400. Despite this, Sri Lanka faced a batting collapse, falling from 70/1 to 93/5. However, Dhananjaya de Silva (64*) and Kamindu Mendis (54*) combined for an unbeaten 118-run partnership, stabilizing the innings and helping Sri Lanka recover.

Bad light led to an early close, but during the final session, Dhananjaya and Kamindu adeptly handled England’s spin attack. While England’s bowlers struggled to contain the pair, Dhananjaya was fortunate to survive a missed catch by debutant Josh Hull off Shoaib Bashir. The pair’s fluent batting allowed Sri Lanka to reduce the deficit to 114 runs at stumps.

England had a mixed day with the ball. They started off poorly with the new ball, allowing Sri Lanka to get off to a strong start with Pathum Nissanka’s fifty. Although England managed to trigger a collapse, Dhananjaya and Kamindu’s resistance brought stability. England’s captain Ollie Pope tried various tactics and field placements but couldn’t break the partnership.

Sri Lanka’s bowlers had a standout performance in the morning session, with all pacers finding their rhythm, in contrast to a poor showing on the opening day. While Pope scored a remarkable 154 and set a record for the fastest 150 at The Oval, his efforts were the only bright spot for England as Sri Lanka’s bowlers dominated. The partnership between Dhananjaya and Kamindu provided Sri Lanka with a strong comeback, setting up an intriguing finish to the match.

BRIEF SCORES: England 325 (Ollie Pope 154, Ben Duckett 86; Milan Rathnayake 3-56, Dhananjaya de Silva 2-18, Vishwa Fernando 2-46) lead Sri Lanka 211/5 (Dhananjaya de Silva 64*, Pathum Nissanka 64, Kamindu Mendis 54*; Olly Stone 2-28) by 114 runs

News by Hindi Patrika