"Pathum Nissanka is the best batter in country": Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva
Aug 28, 2024
London [UK], August 28 : Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva on Wednesday heaped praise on Pathum Nissanka ahead of their second Test match against England at the iconic Lord's.
In the first Test against England, Nissanka couldn't make his place in the playing eleven. However, he has been featured in the first eleven for the upcoming long-format match at Lord's.
After trailing the three-match series by 1-0, Sri Lanka will take on England in the second Test match on Thursday in London.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Dhananjaya said that Nissanka is the "best batter" in Sri Lanka, and has a "good mindset".
"Overall, Pathum is the best batter in the country at the moment. He has a good mindset and he has a good technique. If we can get him into the team, that's great. I have been talking about it for a while now. I think he will adjust to any format," Dhananjaya was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying.
Recapping the first match of the series, SL won the toss and opted to bat first. Struggling at 113/7, it was the knocks from skipper Dhananjaya de Silva and Milan Rathnayake that propelled SL to 236/10.
Chris Woakes (3/32) and Shoaib Bashir (3/55) were the top bowlers for England.
Despite a poor start and a tricky score of 67/3, fine performances from middle-order batters Joe Root, Harry Brook, and centurion Jamie Smith helped England attain a lead of 122 runs as they were bundled out for 358 runs.
Ashitha Fernando (4/103) and Prabhat Jayasuriya (3/85) delivered fine spells for Sri Lanka.
In their second innings, SL once again found themselves in a troublesome position, with the score reading 95/4. However, veterans Angelo Matthews and Dinesh Chandimal formed a 78-run partnership to push SL towards a lead. Later, keeping his fine form, Kamindu Mendis slammed his second Test ton in five innings, scoring 113 in 183 balls, with 15 fours and a six. SL put up a total of 326/10, giving them a respectable lead of 204 runs.
Woakes and Matthew Potts (3/47) took three wickets each to lead England's bowling charts.
In reply, England was in a tight position at 70/3. However, Root's calm and composed half-century and solid contributions from Brook and Smith took England to a five-wicket win.
