England and Sri Lanka’s rivalry dates back more than just test match fixtures; their teams have shared an exceptional history in the game that can be witnessed through thrilling Test matches, thrilling ODIs, and captivating T20s.
Jos Buttler scored a record-setting hundred on his home debut for England as they captured victory at Lord’s. Pathum Nissanka and Angelo Mathews helped Sri Lanka fight back impressively with exceptional efforts by them both.
Fans looking for full details can check the England cricket team vs Sri Lanka national cricket team match scorecard for a complete breakdown of the match.
| Date | Location | Result | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6–9 Sep 2024 | Kennington Oval, London | Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets | Sri Lanka chased down convincingly to secure their first Test win in England since 1982 (myKhel, The Guardian). |
| 29 Aug–1 Sep 2024 | Lord’s, London | England won by 190 runs | A dominant display by England, with strong performances across both innings (myKhel). |
| 21–24 Aug 2024 | Old Trafford, Manchester | England won by 5 wickets | England chased down the target with composure, sealing the series lead (myKhel, Sky Sports). |
| 22–25 Jan 2021 | Galle, Sri Lanka | England won by 6 wickets | England closed out the Test in the second innings, taking the series 2–0 (myKhel, Wikipedia). |
| 14–18 Jan 2021 | Galle, Sri Lanka | England won by 7 wickets | England secured the opener with a solid chase to take an early series lead (myKhel, Wikipedia). |
England vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan lower order’s determined effort enabled them to recover to 236 after England edged them out in an engaging Test at Emirates Old Trafford. Kamindu Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal led this charge, supported by Angelo Mathews who scored an enthralling 122 on Day 3, helping the hosts establish an 82-run lead on Day 3.
Sri Lanka’s day began slowly, falling to 6-3 after seven overs before Kusal Mendis and Chandimal provided some stability. Unfortunately, poor shot selection and execution led to wickets falling continuously on an unhelpful surface for bowlers.
Ollie Pope’s impressive unbeaten 154 in the third Test provided a crucial boost for an inexperienced side, who were helped along by Joe Root’s nerveless fifty to seal a fourth successive win for them.
Pope, Ben Duckett and Harry Brook all played their parts during a hard-fought run-chase, while stand-in skipper Ollie Pope held off off-spinner Stuart Broad to win.
Once England had fallen to 69-4, their batsmen were able to push forward in an intense run-chase; however, an hour after tea saw England begin losing ground against their visitors as Pathum Nissanka made 40 balls towards his half century; Dimuth Karunaratne scored an equally impressive 79 runs.
But as light began to dim, England were forced to switch back to bowling spin. Shoaib Bashir bowled an excellent spell and was rewarded with Mendis’ wicket after driving him towards long-on, where Hull made an outstanding diving stop before picking him off off Hull’s diving attempt. England were fortunate that reinstating pace would not have been feasible and they reached their target with four overs remaining.
This series has been an absorbing contest, an exhilarating mix of experience and youth. England’s aggressive “Bazball” approach was met by experienced players like Kamindu Mendis as well as emerging talents like Gus Atkinson and Kamindu Nissanka – as well as some spectacular moments such as Dimuth Karunaratne’s run out or The Oval’s final-ball dramas in Test 3.
1st Test
England were expected to romp all over Sri Lanka and win the series easily, yet their hosts showed remarkable grit in coming back into it and discovering some outstanding talents. Joe Root stood out, with two tons at Lord’s and match-saving knocks of 62 from Gus Atkinson at Manchester; Pathum Nissanka excelled both places; while Kamindu Mendis shone for Sri Lanka too.
England and Sri Lanka faced off in a classic clash of generations, pitting England’s aggressive “Bazball” style of play against Sri Lanka’s centuries of resilience and style to produce an exciting, riveting Test match that will live long in memory.
Sri Lanka started off well but were brought back into contention by some disciplined bowling from England, with Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson taking three and two wickets respectively.
England’s batsmen initially struggled against Sri Lanka’s tight bowling but once Angelo Mathews recovered his composure after an early wicket, England steadily gained ground and built an advantage.
By the end of day three, England held an easy 122-run lead and seemed certain of victory.
But Sri Lanka were far from over. A fine innings by Kamindu Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal kept the visitors’ hopes alive despite some poor fielding from England batsmen and some overturned decisions upon review.
But England’s bowlers continued their dominance and eventually finished ahead, as Kamindu Mendis’ brilliant 113 was eventually dismissed for England and was well supported by debutant Milan Rathnayake and Kusal Mendis – alongside captain Ollie Pope who scored both with bat and ball and made some key contributions as bowler.
Overall this Test provided both teams an opportunity to display their strengths and weaknesses before their second meeting at Lord’s next week – check out our detailed scorecard below for full results from this first Test result from first Test result from this Test match-up! See full results of first Test below our detailed scorecard below!
2nd Test
England continued their dominance against Sri Lanka despite an uneven start on day two, thanks to Joe Root’s unbeaten 149 at Lord’s and Manchester and Gus Atkinson’s maiden Test century. Sri Lanka struggled on an unforgiving pitch but managed to stay within their required run rate thanks to lower order resilience.
England ultimately proved superior and secured victory at Old Trafford with five wickets remaining, thanks to Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson’s efforts in taking three and two wickets respectively – supported by Ben Duckett and Harry Brook.
Dimuth Karunaratne was caught behind off Josh Hull for 39, leaving the visitors at tea at 92-3 but Dinesh Chandimal and Kamindu Mendis managed to hold firm and bat for another hour until lunch time came around.
Both batsmen were rewarded for their perseverance. After being dropped at extra cover by Sam Curran on 55, the stand-in captain hit sixes and fours off Asitha Fernando to bring up his score to 85 before eventually being dismissed with 111 runs from 198 balls.
As light faded, England employed spin and tried for early wickets. Meanwhile, Pathum Nissanka rushed his way to 50 off only 50 deliveries before driving into Olly Stone at extra cover and eventually being run out for 49 runs by Olly.
Even after experiencing setback, the visitors fought back, led by Angelo Mathews at the top of their innings and Mendis and Chandimal at either end. With help from some sloppy fielding and overturned decisions under review, however, they came close to reaching their target score 230-6 before finally falling short and being dismissed on day six.
England are in position to complete a first clean sweep of the summer after taking down West Indies 3-0 and beating Sri Lanka emphatically in two Test matches, respectively. Their dramatic turnaround from being at risk of losing their home Test since June 2014 to winning out convincingly has been nothing short of miraculous.
3rd Test
Overall, this three-match series between England and Sri Lanka was an enjoyable journey and thrilling spectacle. Although England took home the series win, Sri Lanka can take some key learnings into their red-ball engagements against Pakistan next time around – particularly their three Test series against them starting December.
Sri Lanka made history at The Oval by winning for the first time on English soil since 1982 – one of Arjuna Ranatunga’s signature wins – staking their claim as one of cricket’s premier Test sides.
Since their first victory, much has changed between both countries, yet their fierce rivalry remains undiminished and has given us some memorable moments across all formats of cricket. Indeed, this longstanding dispute is now one of the oldest rivalries in international cricket spanning more than 100 years!
England were in control on day 1 of the third Test at The Oval. Batting after a damp opening session, England managed a solid start to their innings that ultimately yielded 300 runs all out – Ben Duckett made an outstanding 86 and Ollie Pope set a new record at The Oval with 150 not out! It was impressive performance from their batsmen with Ben Duckett scoring an unbeaten 86 while Ollie Pope reached 150 not out within just 14 balls!
Sri Lanka relied heavily on their bowlers on Day 2. Although they got off to an awful start and found themselves 6/3 at one point, Dinesh Chandimal and Kamindu Mendis provided some stability by not conceding too many wickets in the first session. England quickly took advantage of their second new ball to tear through their lower order batsmen quickly.
After an extended tea break, play resumed as daylight began dwindling rapidly. Some overs of spin were attempted before umpires decided it was too dark to introduce pace back into the game; thus calling off for the day.
Sri Lanka managed a remarkable comeback victory in England’s final Test match, striking back with an amazing win by taking full advantage of favourable batting conditions and successfully navigating a complex final innings to equalize.
Only twice before has any Asian side successfully chased over 200 runs during a fourth innings Test match here and this success should serve as a huge confidence booster for them.