England has suffered an embarrassing eight-wicket defeat in the third and final Test of its home series against Sri Lanka.
A staggering top-order collapse on Sunday’s day three, which left the hosts 82-7 before being bowled out for 156 in just 34 overs, sparked the upset.
It was particularly remarkable given England was 261-3 in its first innings.
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The win was Sri Lanka’s first Test victory in England in a decade, and just its fourth all-time.
Opener Pathum Nissanka was the player of the match, spearheading the clinical run chase by adding an unbeaten 127 to his first innings 64, helping them reach the 219-run target with ease.
The tourists’ bowling attack took full advantage of an overly aggressive England side on day three, with Nick Hoult of The Telegraph calling it “the worst batting of the Bazball era”.
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The loss sees them drop into sixth in the World Test Championship standings, with Sri Lanka moving up into fifth, and needing excellent results in their remaining matches this tournament away to Pakistan and New Zealand to have any hope of making the June 2025 final at Lord’s.
India and Australia are the only nations with a winning record in this WTC, with this summer’s five-Test series down under set to prove decisive, before the Aussies finally face Sri Lanka away in early 2025.
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