What happened the last time Sri Lanka toured England for a Test series?
The three-match Test series between Sri Lanka and England will commence at Old Trafford in Manchester on Wednesday, August 21. It will be Sri Lanka's first red-ball tour of England since 2016 when they lost 0-2 in the three-match affair.
Led by all-rounder Angelo Matthews, the visitors were high on confidence before the start of the tour, having won the previous series against England away from home in 2014. However, Sir Alastair Cook and company soon proved that the 2014 series defeat was an isolated event. England asserted their dominance with an innings and 88-run victory in the first Test in Leeds.
Batting first, the hosts posted 298 runs, thanks to a swashbuckling 140 off 183 deliveries from Jonny Bairstow. Alex Hales, who opened the innings, also chipped in with a patient 86-run knock off 206 balls. Dusmantha Chameera and Dasun Shanaka shared six wickets between them.
In response, Sri Lanka had no answers to James Anderson and Stuart Broad's mastery. The duo shared nine wickets between them, as the Lankans were skittled out for 91 runs, with skipper Matthews (34) finishing as the highest scorer.
Cook wasted no time enforcing follow-on in search of an innings victory. Although Sri Lanka managed to better their first-innings score in the second essay, they couldn't avoid an innings defeat. Anderson was once again the wrecker-in-chief for the home side, picking up five wickets to complete another 10-wicket haul. Steve Finn also made useful contributions, returning with three wickets, as the Lankans went down by an innings and 88 runs.
The caravan then shifted to Chester-le-Street with two teams coming in with different perspectives. While England were eyeing nothing short of a win to wrap up the series, Sri Lanka were looking to keep the fight alive.
However, a similar script followed, as the hosts piled on runs in the first innings to put the opposition on the back foot. Riding on an unbeaten 155 from Moeen Ali and half-centuries from Alex Hales and Joe Root, England posted 498/9 before declaring their innings. Nuwan Pradeep managed to make some inroads, picking up four wickets but lacked support from teammates.
A similar batting debacle followed for Sri Lanka, as they were bundled out for 101 runs in the first innings. Only four batters reached the double-digit mark, with Kusal Mendis top-scoring with 35 runs. Broad emerged as the highest wicket-taker with four scalps, while Andreson and Chris Woakes returned with three apiece.
Sri Lanka were once again asked to follow on by Cook. They came up with a much-improved performance this time, posting 475 runs in the second innings. Kaushal Silva and Angelo Matthews shared an 80-run stand for the fourth wicket before Dinesh Chandimal anchored the innings with tailenders to stretch the scoreboard.
Chandimal was eventually dismissed by Broad after scoring 126 runs off 207 balls. Andreson returned with five wickets for England, while Woakes picked up two.
England needed only 79 runs in the second innings to go 2-0 up and seal the series. Cook remained unbeaten on 47 runs to see the team through alongside Nick Compton (22*).
Sri Lanka managed to draw the third and final Test
Heading into the third Test at Lord's, Sri Lanka were keen to salvage some pride and return with their head held high after almost surrendering in the first two fixtures. They did better their batting performance from the last two Tests and posed some challenges to the English bowlers.
The hosts batted first and piled on 416 runs, courtesy of another mammoth century from Bairstow. Cook gave a steady start, scoring 85 runs. Bairstow stitched together some crucial partnerships with Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes to guide the team to a good total.
In reply, the Lankans got off to a decent start. Openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva added 108 runs to set the platform for the batters to come. However, the middle order failed to capitalize on it and the visitors were reduced to 205/6. Contributions from Kushal Mendis and Rangana Herath in the lower order helped the Lankans cross the 250-run mark.
With a significant lead, England declared their second innings at 233/7, setting up a challenging 362-run target for Sri Lanka. The Asian giants could only score 78/1 in 24.2 overs before rain played spoilsport and the match ended in a draw.
The current Lankan side will look to not dwell in the past and come up with improved performances in the upcoming series against England.