- Sri Lanka began the fourth day needing 125 more runs to win with nine wickets in hand.
- They reached the target with ease as Pathum Nissanka scored an unbeaten goal.
- The defeat meant England have failed to win all six of their Tests this summer.
England’s hopes of an unbeaten Test summer were dashed at the Kia Oval as Pathum Nissanka’s unbeaten century gave Sri Lanka a deserved eight-wicket victory.
England, seeking a sixth consecutive home win and their first home winning streak since 2004, received a wake-up call after a lackluster performance in south London.
The real damage had already been done with the bat, collapses of seven for 64 in their first innings and five for 26 in the second undermining England’s efforts, and an inexperienced bowling attack was unable to plug the gaps on day four.
Chasing 219 for their first win against England in a decade, Sri Lanka needed another 125 with nine wickets in hand and crossed the line in style.
Gus Atkinson made a solitary breakthrough on Monday morning as Nissanka took centre stage with a classy unretired 127.
England succumbed to an embarrassing defeat against Sri Lanka at The Oval as the visitors chased down their 219-run target with just two wickets on day four.
England may wonder how they got into such a bind after reaching 261 for three on the second morning, with Ollie Pope’s hundred seemingly laying solid foundations once again, but they will reflect on a handful of ill-advised dismissals of top-order players.
For the tourists it was a memorable end to a gruelling trip and their victory will go down in history alongside other famous victories on these shores: here at the Oval in 1998, at Trent Bridge in 2006 and at Headingley in 2014.
Angelo Mathews scored 160 on that occasion at Leeds and the 37-year-old was with Nissanka at the end, a fitting coda for the long-serving veteran.
England knew they needed things to happen quickly to turn the game in their favour, but Sri Lanka did well to take the pressure off the early exchanges.
There were no real fireworks in the first hour but they put on 43 runs, got Nissanka back into consistent rhythm and ensured the loss of Kusal Mendis did not deter them.
Mendis fell for 39 in the fifth over, tempted by a short ball from Atkinson but unable to do enough with his hook. Shoaib Bashir was positioned at fine leg and leapt to take an outstanding catch, using every part of his 6ft 4in frame to make up the necessary ground.
Nissanka looked less prone to the rush of blood and kept reducing his target ever lower. The rapid flow of boundaries that came on the third evening had slowed to a trickle, but the gentle pace played firmly into Sri Lanka’s hands.
Pope shuffled his cards but struggled to find a combination that worked. Josh Hull, wearing a thigh bandage, was a yard off the pace in a gentle two-over spell that threatened little danger and Bashir was offered just one over (at a cost of 10) before being dismissed.
Hull later returned for one last blast, but it may be some time before the 20-year-old rookie gets another chance in the testing arena.
Chris Woakes was called back into service after a brief respite but twice strayed towards leg as Sri Lanka completed their tally with eight cheap extras.
England began to look increasingly dejected as the Sri Lankans entered their victory lap, with Nissanka racking up his ton in just 107 deliveries before blasting Olly Stone into the stands for a pair of celebratory sixes.
Nissanka provided a difficult chance that Bashir could not control, but he was lucky. It was he who finished off the match, leaning back to block the bowler and score four.
England bid farewell to a transitional summer in which they have revamped their Test squad with an injection of new blood with five comfortable wins and just one defeat, but this was a reminder that results cannot be taken for granted.