Once again, Kamindu Mendis and captain Dhanajaya bore the brunt of responsibility as keeper-battler Dinesh Chandimal failed to open his tally. Throughout the entire series, they have been leading the squad, and the third Test saw little change in that regard. Both players provided excellent support for one another, scoring fifty runs apiece, which placed pressure on England. Interestingly, Mendis is batting at 54* for the day, while Dhananjaya concluded with 64*.
In the first innings of the current third Test match between England and Sri Lanka at Kennington Oval in London, Ollie Pope’s 154 runs contributed to the English total of 325 runs. Sri Lanka has been able to stay in the game because England’s middle order and tail-enders did not provide much, as they did in the first two Tests of the series. For the team, Milan Rathnayake has taken three wickets, while Dhananjaya de Silva, Lahiru Kumara, and Vishwa Fernando have each claimed two.
Kamindu Mendis scored 14 runs as his opening partner Dimuth Karunaratne left after scoring nine.
The visitors once again shown the proper attitude when it came to their batting. With a score of 64, opener Pathum Nissanka got off to a strong start at bat, but he received little help from the other end. In the vital series against England, veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews was anticipated to perform well. However, he struggled the entire time and managed just three runs in the opening innings of the third Test.
Also Read: Watch: In the third Test against Sri Lanka, Chris Woakes turns to a spinner
Their objective would be to continue on Day 4 and gain the upper hand in the match. Although they have mastered the beat, which is crucial, the work will not be simple. After three days, the visitors are behind by 114 runs with Sri Lanka at 211/5. Olly Stone has taken two wickets with the ball while Chris Woakes and Josh Hull, both rookies, have taken one each. Despite having a fantastic series with the ball, Gus Atkinson has not yet sealed one in the game.
Here’s how X reacted to live action on Day 2 between ENG and SL:
Chris Woakes – The Spinner
You read it rightpic.twitter.com/widLECLPjX— Zubair Shakeel Wani (@ZubiTalks) September 7, 2024
Spin wizard Chris Woakes 🧙♂️
Joe Root & Ben Stokes can’t believe their eyes 😅 pic.twitter.com/BbHaet892c
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) September 7, 2024
“Son, let me tell you about a time when the light got so bad that Chris Woakes had to bowl off spin for 4 balls before Gus Atkinson bowled the next over.”#ENGvSL pic.twitter.com/FMwk9OB9lM
— CricBlog ✍ (@cric_blog) September 7, 2024
1️⃣5️⃣0️⃣ UP for OLLIE POPE! 🔥#ENGvSLpic.twitter.com/lbGpTcbhVd
— Sports with naveen (@sportswnaveen) September 7, 2024
England truly are a crazy team
They have collectively managed to make Ollie Pope look like a generational talent with their madness😂😂 pic.twitter.com/xuvseabboK— Random Guy Here (@arandomguyposts) September 7, 2024
Another day, another rescue act from Dhananjaya De Silva!
Undoubtedly the finest No.6 in modern Test cricket, DDS has accumulated 1,648 runs at an outstanding average of 51.5 in last 10 Years at this position…
He stands as the only batter with a 50+ average at No.6 (minimum… https://t.co/Wsdc5Izsrr pic.twitter.com/IVlTcqrTVh
— Abhishek AB (@ABsay_ek) September 7, 2024
Dhananjaya de Silva’s resilience since 2023:
– 98 against New Zealand in Wellington, stepping in at 116/4.
– 122 against Pakistan in Galle, rescuing the team from 54/4.
– 82 in the same Test’s second innings, with the score at 99/4.– 57 off 68 balls against Pakistan in… pic.twitter.com/JW3j0Ze5yV
— Abhishek AB (@ABsay_ek) August 21, 2024
Most fifty-plus scores by Sri Lankan 🇱🇰 captain in a Test series in England 🏴 soil. #ENGvSL
3 – Dhananjaya de Silva in 2024 ***
2 – Angelo Mathews in 2014
2 – TM Dilshan in 2011
2 – Mahela Jayawardene in 2006
2 – Duleep Mendis in 1984 pic.twitter.com/3l4UMHT6IL— Roshan Abeysinghe (@RoshanCricket) September 7, 2024
Captain stands tall 🙌
Dhananjaya De Silva fighting in the middle with Kamindu Mendis…!
He reached at his 17th test match fifty, Sri Lanka wants big inning from him today 🇱🇰🇱🇰#ENGvsSL #ENGvSL pic.twitter.com/Xo1EHopJIo
— Shivam Dubey (@ShivamDubey45) September 7, 2024
Impressive from Kamindu Mendis to work on his technique, adapting to the situation and having a great game awareness!
Way to go! 👏🏼👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/xt7YzVsu9c
— Indoosan (@Indooshan) September 1, 2024
Yet another half-century for Kamindu Mendis, What a test career so far for him❤️🔥👏#ENGvSRI #ENGvSL pic.twitter.com/6ZCTdASLbg
— 𝐅 𝐀 𝐈 𝐙 𝐀 𝐍 💫🇵🇰 (@Faizanali_152) September 7, 2024
Kamindu Mendis
10 innings
50s-4
100s-3
Runs-685
Avg -85.62258 runs in this series at an avg of 64.
One amazing start to his career 👌🏼— Ustaad Aadmi (@UstaadAdmi) September 7, 2024
India
