Pathum Nissanka's magnificent unbeaten century guided Sri Lanka to a thumping eight-wicket victory in the third Test match against England, ending a decade-long wait.
Sri Lanka, who had set themselves a target of 219, reached that total with the loss of two wickets before lunch on day four at The Oval on Monday.
Nissanka was 127 not out and Angelo Mathews 32 not out in an unbroken stand of 111.
The victory gave Sri Lanka only their fourth Test win in England and their first since the 100-run success at Headingley in 2014.
England won the three-match series 2-1 after victories at Old Trafford and Lord's, but the defeat meant England failed to record their first clean sweep in a home campaign since 2004.
What a fantastic win to end the series! Sri Lanka beat England by 8 wickets in the third Test.
Congratulations to the team for a brilliant performance!
👏 #ENGvSL 🏏 image.twitter.com/VZk1HUyWWb
— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) September 9, 2024
Nissanka, named player of the match after scoring 64 in the first innings, told Sky Sports: “It was a great opportunity to play in England and I enjoyed that innings.”
“I just wanted to play my regular game and I have done that,” added the opener, who spent two years out of the Test team.
And for Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva, there was no doubt about the importance of leading his country to their fourth win in 21 Tests in England.
“This is one of the happiest moments of my career and my life,” de Silva said.
“We have been through some tough times over the last two weeks, so to come here and get a win in English conditions against an English team is a very good moment for me, for my team and for my country as well.”
Sri Lanka resumed play at 94-1, now well positioned to end a seven-match losing streak in Tests to England.
Nissanka, recalled to Lord's, was not out on 53 and Kusal Mendis was unbeaten on 30.
However, Mendis had added just nine runs to his score when he latched onto a Gus Atkinson bouncer to fine leg, where Shoaib Bashir, who did well to see the ball on a gloomy morning, took an excellent low catch after diving to his left.
Sri Lanka now had a record of 108-2 when Mathews, who made a brilliant 160 in their success at Headingley a decade ago, came in to bat.
With Sri Lanka making good progress against the quicks at 137-2, England captain Ollie Pope brought in spinner Bashir.
However, Bashir quickly conceded 10 runs in an over when Nissanka pulled a dragged ball towards square leg and Mathews swept another four.
The diminutive Nissanka scored three off Atkinson at point, allowing the 26-year-old to complete a century off 107 balls, including 11 fours.
And upon reaching the landmark, Nissanka hooked fast bowler Olly Stone for two sixes.
Nissanka finished the match by cutting Bashir for four, having already surpassed his previous highest Test score of 103 against the West Indies at North Sound in 2021.
England squandered several strong stands, including collapsing from 261-3 to 325 all out in their first innings despite Pope's 154, his first century since replacing the injured Ben Stokes as captain at the start of this series.
They also allowed Sri Lanka to recover from 93-5 to 263 in reply with Pope deploying a spin attack after tea on a grim second day.
England led by 62 runs in the first innings.
But their top order batted as if they had double the advantage the second time around as England spectacularly collapsed to 82-7 before being dismissed for 156 in just 34 overs on Sunday.
Lahiru Kumara took 4-21 and left-hander Vishwa Fernando 3-40, including Joe Root's prize for just 12.
Only wicket-keeper Jamie Smith's 67 counterattacks off 50 balls, including 10 fours and a six, ensured Sri Lanka chased down more than 200 to claim victory.
“It's disappointing not to be on the right side of the result,” Pope said. “Day three [on Sunday]We probably shot ourselves in the foot a little.
“We were not at our best and the credit goes to Sri Lanka. Nissanka played at an excellent level and deserved to win this match.”
