Dramatic Win for Sri Lanka in Over 10 Years in England: Pathum Nissanka's Century Leaves R Ashwin Ecstatic

Veteran Indian spin-bowling all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin praised Pathum Nissanka as one of the top batters to emerge from Sri Lanka. "Pathum Nissanka is undoubtedly one of the finest batsmen to have emerged from Sri Lanka recently, and he has once again showcased his class with a quality century in the fourth innings," Ashwin stated in his post on X.

Ashwin may have not played any top level cricket matches since his last IPL game for RR in May this year but he has never shied away from giving his keen observations on matches and tournaments from around the world. He has been airing his thoughts on the ongoing Duleep Trophy, in which he is one of few major Indian stars who is not participating. He will be next seen in action later this month when India host Bangladesh for a two-match Test series.

Sri Lanka's last Test win in England came June 2014 when captain Angelo Mathews led the way with a sensational all-round performance to power his team to a 100-run win. Incidentally, that was also the last time Sri Lanka beat England in a Test series. Mathews was at the crease on Monday while Nissanka hit the winning runs. Nissanka was unbeaten on a towering 127 off 124 balls while Mathews had scored 32 in 61. The pair put up an undefeated stand of 111 runs in 126 balls for the third wicket.

After their impressive end to Sunday's final session, where fast bowlers Lahiru Kumara and Vishwa Fernando wreaked havoc on the England lineup, Sri Lanka resumed at 94/1. They needed a further 125 to win and knocked them off in a little over two hours to finish on 219/2 and win by eight wickets.