Sri Lanka surpassed England in the World Test Championship after defeating Three Lions in the final match of the three-match series on Monday.
England bagged the series win, but the Lankans ended up leading the match at The Oval as well as in the standings of the WTC.
Additionally, in seven Tests, Sri Lanka have won three matches in this cycle, giving them a points percentage of 42.857% whereas England, with eight wins in 16 Test matches, are mere decimal points below with 42.187%.
In the first innings, England scored 325 runs within 69.1 overs and restricted the Dhananjaya de Silva's side to 263 within 61.2 overs.
Sri Lanka's comeback on day three saw the hosts reduced to 69/5, which soon turned to 82/7.
Jamie Smith, scoring 67 off 50 deliveries, led England to score 156 within 34 overs.
However, the tables turned when Sri Lanka smashed number of fours with Pathum Nissanka on strike, racing away at a rate of more than six runs per over.
Additionally, Nissanka, 26, brought up his half-century off 42 balls.
Shoaib Bashir’s outstanding catch early on day four broke the threatening Mendis-Nissanka stand with the former dismissed for a 37-ball 39, but Nissanka continued to score runs, finishing on an unbeaten 127 to guide the team home alongside Angelo Mathews.
In regard to this, Nissanka's 127* is the highest score by a Sri Lankan in the fourth innings of a Test match since Kusal Perera's unforgettable 153* in South Africa in 2019.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka will be playing two home series against the Black Caps and Australia.
Ollie Pope's side, on the other hand, are set to face Pakistan in a three-match series and New Zealand later this year.
