ENG vs SL : England Eye Key WTC 2023-25 Points & Sri Lanka Look To Avoid White-Wash & Salvage Some Pride

England will face Sri Lanka in the third and final Test match of the series at the Kennington Oval. England have already secured the series with two dominant victories, showcasing their exceptional form and strategy. With a clean sweep in sight, England’s objective will be to maintain their winning momentum and deliver a comprehensive performance.

Sri Lanka, however, will be determined to salvage their pride and end the series on a positive note. The team will aim to put up a strong fight and challenge England’s supremacy, making the final Test a crucial opportunity to make a statement.

To The Oval, traditional venue for the final Test of the English summer – although not, by any means, the final international commitment for England’s men, who go straight into eight white-ball fixtures against Australia off the back of Sri Lanka’s visit (the first T20I takes place 24 hours after the scheduled fifth day of the Test).

ENG vs SL Previous Performance

England will take on Sri Lanka in the third and final Test of the series at the Kennington Oval in London, starting Friday, September 6. With the series already in the bag after two commanding victories, England will be eager to wrap things up with a clean sweep. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka, having been outclassed so far, will look to salvage some pride by finishing the series with a win.

ENG vs SL : Head to Head

England and Sri Lanka have faced each other in 38 matches in Test. Out of these 38 games , England have won 19 whereas Sri Lanka have come out victorious on 8 occasions . 11 matches ended with draw.

ENG vs SL : Pitch Report

The Oval has not been the place to bowl spin this season, with only 26 wickets falling to slow bowlers in six County Championship matches – compared to 173 taken by pace, where Surrey’s seam-and-swing merchant Dan Worrall leads the way. With wet weather in the build-up and a forecast for showers throughout – Monday looks particularly bleak – the conditions will be a long way from those in which Murali’s Sri Lanka dominated England 26 years ago.

It is forecast to be a rainy week in London with intermittent showers expected, particularly on day one and day three. There should still be enough game time to force a result, given that the surface is expected to be a lively deck with good pace and bounce in it.

The Kennington Oval pitch is known for its early assistance to fast bowlers, which can be crucial in the opening stages of the match. Traditionally, the pitch provides significant movement for bowlers with the new ball, offering them a chance to capitalize on favorable conditions. As the match progresses, the pitch tends to settle, becoming more favorable for batting.

Teams winning the toss might be inclined to bowl first, leveraging the initial conditions to their advantage. The strategic choice at the toss could play a pivotal role in shaping the outcome of this crucial final Test.

ENG vs SL : Big Picture : Sri Lanka return to scene of 1998 triumph

To The Oval, traditional venue for the final Test of the English summer – although not, by any means, the final international commitment for England’s men, who go straight into eight white-ball fixtures against Australia off the back of Sri Lanka’s visit (the first T20I takes place 24 hours after the scheduled fifth day of the Test).

For now, the focus remains on Test cricket – even if Brendon McCullum’s mind may start to wander following news he will soon take charge of England’s white-ball fortunes as well – and the aim of completing a first summer sweep since 2004.

Twenty years ago, Michael Vaughan’s team dispatched New Zealand and West Indies for a 7-0 scoreline, providing momentum that fueled them into the following year’s Ashes campaign; McCullum and Ben Stokes, currently watching on from the sidelines as he recuperates from a torn hamstring, will hope something similar can play out ahead of marque series against India (at home) and Australia (away) in 2025.

England’s reboot, having lost 4-1 in India at the start of the year, has gone smoothly thus far, despite the limited challenge provided by West Indies and Sri Lanka. Gus Atkinson has emerged as the star of a post-Broaderson attack, with 33 wickets in five appearances – to go with a maiden hundred at Lord’s last week – while Jamie Smith has nailed down the wicketkeeper’s spot.

With the Sri Lanka series secured, McCullum has decided to throw in another promising tyro, with 6ft 7in Leicestershire left-armer Josh Hull emerging from left-field for an unexpected debut.

All this may well be with the 2025-26 Ashes in mind – and who wouldn’t want a giant southpaw who can hit 90mph to bowl down under? – but Hull has already had success against Sri Lanka, taking five wickets for England Lions during the series warm-up, and England have once again reasoned that raw first-class statistics (16 wickets at 62.75) only tell part of the story.

The final Test of the home season is also a final chance for Ollie Pope to improve his average as Test captain – that is assuming Stokes is fit to take the reins again in Pakistan next month. Pope has so far managed 30 runs in four innings, with his dismissals ranging from eyebrow-raising to hair-raising. Leading England to three wins from three would certainly tick a box, but runs under the belt might have more long-term significance.

For Sri Lanka, a first multi-match Test tour at the height of the English summer has not lived up to expectations – although the same might be said of the English summer, with the weather again likely to be underwhelming in London this week. There were flashes of resistance at Lord’s, Asitha Fernando and Kamindu Mendis once again showing their promise while the senior trio of Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva held up England with fourth-innings fifties.

They would certainly have hoped for more than to be fighting for pride at this stage, but two first-innings collapses have left them with too much to do – while Dhananjaya’s decision to bowl at Lord’s threw an inexperienced bowling attack under the bus. A return to south London for their first Test since famously winning at The Oval in 1998 should help raise spirits. If further motivation is needed, Sri Lanka have played four previous three-Test series in England and never been whitewashed.

ENG vs SL : In the spotlight: Josh Hull and Asitha Fernando

He might be blotting out the spotlight, so tall is Josh Hull. The 20-year-old only emerged on the county scene last summer, notably bowling the final over as Leicestershire sealed the Metro Bank One-Day Cup with a two-run win over Hampshire, and his rise this term has been meteoric.

A couple of outings in the Hundred showed he had put on pace, nudging the speed gun up to 89mph, while success in the Lions game counted for more with England than a County Championship record of two wickets at 182.50. He is set to become only the second left-arm seamer to play Tests for England since Ryan Sidebottom in 2010.

Despite Atkinson’s stellar performances and England’s dominance generally, the leading wicket-taker in the series is Sri Lankan. Asitha Fernando has 14 scalps at 20.14, already second only to Muttiah Muralitharan for Sri Lanka in England, and his lion-hearted efforts have kept the home batters honest.

Asitha got himself on the honours board with a five-for at Lord’s – matching Rumesh Ratnayake’s effort from 1991 – but would no doubt love to help his team end the tour on a winning note. With Sri Lanka banking on pace at The Oval, his skills with conventional and reverse-swing will be vital if can post a score.

ENG vs SL : Vital Stats that matters