Sri Lanka’s resilience was on display at the Oval on Saturday as Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis forged an unbroken century partnership to frustrate England on the second day of the third Test.
After a shaky start that saw them collapse to 93 for 5 before tea, the tourists rallied to finish the day at 211-5, trailing England’s first-innings total of 325 by 114 runs.
De Silva, the Sri Lankan captain, remained unbeaten on 64, while Mendis contributed 54 not out in an unbroken stand of 118. Mendis, in particular, has been in exceptional form, boasting a Test batting average of over 85 and passing 50 for the seventh time in six matches.
Sri Lanka’s recovery was aided by a stroke of luck when De Silva was dropped on 23 by Test debutant Josh Hull at mid-on. The ball went through Hull’s hands after a miscue off spinner Shoaib Bashir.
Earlier, an unfortunate mix-up cost Sri Lanka their first wicket as Dimuth Karunaratne was run out for nine due to Olly Stone’s direct hit from short cover following Pathum Nissanka’s ill-advised dash for a single.
Nissanka went on to score an impressive fifty, highlighted by seven boundaries from 40 balls, but the middle-order wobbled soon after. Stone, returning for his second Test in three years, made a significant impact, taking the wicket of veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews for just three runs.
Hull’s first Test wicket, removing a set Nissanka for 64, marked a significant moment in the third Test. England gained momentum, reducing Sri Lanka to 91-4 and subsequently 93-5 after Stone trapped Dinesh Chandimal lbw for zero.
Kamindu Mendis, batting at No. 7, displayed composure during a precarious situation as dark clouds loomed. To counter potential bad light after tea, England deployed spinners from both ends, with Bashir and part-timer Dan Lawrence bowling in tandem.
De Silva responded by late-cutting Lawrence for four to reach his half-century off 81 balls, while Kamindu Mendis reached his fifty in just 60 balls. Joe Root also bowled briefly with his occasional off-breaks before bad light halted play for the day.
By then, Sri Lanka had added 69 runs without losing a wicket in 17 overs of all-spin bowling post-tea.
Earlier in the day, England saw a collapse, losing six wickets for 35 runs after starting at 221-3. Pope, who resumed on 103 not out, had struggled in previous innings. The Sri Lankan pace attack, initially lacking precision, found their rhythm, with fast bowler Milan Rathnayake ending with figures of 3-56 from 13.1 overs.
Left-arm quick Vishwa Fernando dismissed Pope, who scored 126 off 156 balls, including 19 fours and two sixes. Despite his dismissal, Pope’s first-class average on his Surrey home ground remained above 84.
England are aiming for a clean sweep — their first since 2004.
