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Dimuth Karunaratne etched his name into the history books after becoming just the fourth batter for Sri Lanka to score the 7,000-run landmark in the Test format.
During Sri Lanka's first win on English soil in the Test format in a decade, Karunaratne scored just 17 runs across both innings which proved to be enough to claim his stake as one of Sri Lanka's Test greats. He joined the elite 7,000-run Test club that features Kumar Sangakkara (12,400), Mahela Jayawardene (11,814) and Angelo Mathews (7,734). Overall, it was a dull outing for Karunaratne throughout the three-match away Test series against England. He managed to score just 108 runs in six innings at a mere average of 18.00. Despite Karunaratne's disappointing display with the bat, Pathum Nissanka made the headlines with his blitzkrieg on Day Four in the third Test. He produced his variation of England's 'Bazball' style of play and raced to 127* in 124 deliveries at a strike rate of 102.42. He made the headlines by singlehandedly propelling the visitors to a historic 8-wicket win at Kennington Oval. Despite a late show from Sri Lanka in the third Test, the hosts sealed a 2-1 series triumph over the Asian side. Even though England stepped out of The Oval with the series win, Sri Lanka benefitted the most in the World Test Championship standings. In the final game that swung back and forth, the visitors stood tall in the final Test and tasted success, which saw them rise above the hosts in the WTC rankings. The victory saw Sri Lanka surge to the fifth spot with three wins and a points percentage of 42.857 after playing seven Tests in the ongoing cycle. England, with eight wins in 16 Test matches, are mere decimal points below with a points percentage of 42.187 in the sixth position. India continue to top the chart with six triumphs in nine Test matches and a points percentage of 68.52. The defending champions, Australia, closely follow on in the second spot with eight victories in 12 matches and a points percentage of 62.50. (ANI)
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