Superb Nissanka leads Sri Lanka to consolation test win over England

Sri Lanka were favourites heading into the fourth day after their bowlers put them in the driver's seat by skittling out England for just 156 in their second innings. 

Nissanka and Kusal Mendis then consolidated Sri Lanka's position with an aggressive start before stumps on the third day. 

On the fourth morning, Mendis got Sri Lanka going with a firm push through mid off in the first over for a boundary. Chris Woakes, operating at the other end, found Nissanka's outside edge but the ball fell well short of the slip fielder.

For a moment, it did appear like Sri Lanka would abandon the aggressive approach from last evening that got them this far. But when Gus Atkinson bowled one short, Mendis went after it immediately, only for Shoaib Bashir at long leg to dive at full stretch and take an excellent catch.

After Nissanka fetched a boundary off Woakes, England decided to ring in the changes at both ends in search of another breakthrough. Nissanka and Mathews kept rotating the strike, including a few risky runs, before the former cut Josh Hull for a boundary. 

After the hour mark, Bashir was brought into the attack in desperate need of a breakthrough with Sri Lanka needing less than 90 at that point. However, Nissanka and Mathews sent him out of the attack immediately with a boundary each.

After that watchful start, the runs started flowing freely for Sri Lanka and in the process, Nissanka brought up a well-deserved ton. He was in the zone to finish the game quickly as Olly Stone was then smashed for two sixes in successive overs. 

Fittingly, it was Nissanka who hit the winning runs as the opener was named player of the match having already hammered a quickfire fifty in the first innings.

Brief scores: England 325 (Ollie Pope 154; Milan Rathnayake 3/56) & 156 (Jamie Smith 67; Lahiru Kumara 4/21) lost to Sri Lanka 263 (Dhananjaya de Silva 69; Olly Stone 3/35) & 219/2 (Pathum Nissanka 127*, Kusal Mendis 39) by 8 wickets