Sri Lanka’s most-famed England victory may still be their Oval win from 1998, but the team that won the third Test of their 2024 tour on Monday did it in tougher conditions. This is what Sanath Jayasuriya believes, and he would know. Jayasuriya was one of the architects of the 1998 victory, crashing 213 runs off 278 balls in the first innings, clubbing 24 not out off 17 in the second dig, and bowling 39 overs of left-arm spin.
As the interim coach who oversaw Sri Lanka’s next victory at the same venue, he was full of praise for the fast bowlers in particular. Unlike the 1998 victory, which came on an exceedingly dry deck and mostly under clear skies, this one came on a green-tinged track, in cold and cloudy weather.
“About 27 years ago we won here, under Arjuna [Ranatunga]. Murali [Muthiah Muralidaran] got about 16 wickets, I got a double-hundred, Aravinda [de Silva] got a 150,” Jayasuriya reminisced. “It’s a place we’ll never forget – The Oval.
“But these guys played in different conditions altogether. It was tough conditions, with the grass, the weather, and everything was cloudy and cold. All credit to these boys. The fielders fielded well and the batsmen took responsibility in the second innings.”
Sri Lanka’s quartet of quicks were the primary architects of the victory, sharing 18 wickets between them, largely evenly (series-topper Asitha Fernando took three wickets, Milan Rathnayake bagged four, Vishwa Fernando took five, and Lahiru Kumara six).
“It’s the first time we went with four fast bowlers, and we went with that because of the conditions here, and all of them went beyond 100% in their efforts,” Jayasuriya said. “It’s a joy to talk about them. Our second-innings bowling was remarkable – they stuck to the plan and got them out in under 35 overs, all out for a little more than 150.
“The attitude Lahiru Kumara brought to the middle is what I expected – I wanted him to show as much of that as possible in the middle. That’s how we need to play cricket. He bowled an excellent line and length.
“Asitha Fernando was outstanding right through the series. Rathnayake was really good as a newcomer – he bowled really well. Vishwa Fernando – the way he bowled in the second innings is absolutely what we wanted.”
The series also saw the blossoming of young talents for Sri Lanka, with Kamindu Mendis and Pathum Nissanka hitting Sri Lanka’s only hundreds in the series. Nissanka was especially aggressive at The Oval, breezing his way to 64 off 51 in the first innings, then leading Sri Lanka’s chase with 127 not out off 124 in the second dig.
“Pathum couldn’t play Tests for a few years because of injuries, but he’s been doing well in T20s and one-dayers, ” Jayasuriya said. “He played his natural game here, and I love to see him doing that. Even the non-strikers can play their natural game when Pathum plays like that. It’s good to see him play good cricket in all three versions.”
Kamindu was Sri Lanka’s most prolific batter, hitting two fifties in addition to the century to finish with 267 runs for the series. He made these runs batting at No. 7 and 8.
“We shouldn’t forget Kamindu Mendis and his innings right through the series. In pressure situations he he batted like an experienced player.”
Meanwhile, Rathnayake – who made his debut in the first Test – took 10 wickets through the series, and produced innings worth 72 and 43 from down the order.
“Milan played Sri Lanka A cricket and we knew that he was a good bowler and could bat well. But the world didn’t know he could bat,” Jayasuriya said. “He batted really well and bowled really well right through this Test series. He was a bit stiff in his first Test, but after that he bowled really well and started to relax. We will need a seam-bowling allrounder in the future.”
Andrew Fidel Fernando is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo. @afidelf
