Pathum Nissanka's fourth-innings century against England at The Oval sealed Sri Lanka a consolation Test win. But it also begs the question, where on earth has he been in the format over the last three years?
Nissanka reached his second Test century before Lunch on day four at The Oval, becoming the first Sri Lanka player ever to score a fourth-innings century in England. He also joins an exclusive list of overseas players to score centuries in the final innings at the ground in winning causes, which includes Don Bradman and Graeme Smith among the eight others who have done it.
After celebrating with both arms outstretched to a sparse crowd, Nissanka went on the attack. He crashed Olly Stone for a six over backward square leg before repeating the shot in Stone's next over. He finished the game by cutting Shoaib Bashir for four and finishing on 127 not out off 124 balls. That was Nissanka's highest-score in Test cricket and his first century since crossing three figures on debut in 2021.
Having made his debut in all three formats in the same month during that year, his century against the West Indies in North Sound was Nissanka's stand out achievement of the year.
He was the first Sri Lanka player in 20 years to score a century on Test debut, and that in unfamiliar conditions against a pace attack far different from the spin heavy sides on the Sri Lanka domestic circuit. While that innings was noted for its maturity and bloody-mindedness, lasting 252 balls for 103, it's been in white ball cricket that Nissanka's found the bulk of his international career since.
Pathum Nissanka has done it! 😍
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) September 9, 2024
With a remarkable century from the opener, Sri Lanka are on the brink of a historic win! 👏
Scorecard ➡️ https://t.co/ozfItkerDI pic.twitter.com/S6vh3XohoO
He's played over 100 white-ball matches for Sri Lanka, and been part of three World Cup campaigns. But, as his white-ball career blossomed, his Test career started to stutter. After a strong initial run in the side, in which he dished out another four half-centuries in six games after his first hundred, he was ruled out of the second Test of Sri Lanka's away series against India in early 2022 with injury. It was a blow after he top-scored in Sri Lanka's heavy first Test defeat in Mohali, where they lost by an innings at 222 runs.
In spite of that, he went on a bumper ODI run-scoring stretch when he returned to the international scene three months later. He scored his maiden ODI century against Australia, before Sri Lanka won the series 3-2, and averaged a shade under 50 in the format across the year. In T20Is, he had a similarly brilliant year, culminating in scoring 67 off 45 balls against England in the T20 World Cup, in a match that Sri Lanka pushed the eventual champions close to defeat.
Having made a forgettable comeback to the Test side in mid 2022 against Australia, a bout of Covid ruled him out of Sri Lanka's next Test series against Pakistan. After an eight month gap in Sri Lanka's Test schedule and now two years on from his century against the West Indies with no repeat, Nissanka found himself out of the squad for the next series in New Zealand. Nishan Madushka was called-up instead and kept his place for Sri Lanka's series against Ireland the following month, in which he sealed his spot with a double-century.
Sri Lanka's top-order has been a tough one to break into over the last couple of years. Dimuth Karunaratne takes up the other opener spot with Kusal Mendis a lock at three over the last couple of years. Angelo Matthews is the stalwart at four and Dinesh Chandimal is similarly entrenched at five with the gloves, before you get to captain Dhananjaya De Silva. That order means Nissanka wasn't able to break through until a lack of top-order runs at Old Trafford necessitated it.
With Karunaratne blocking the other opening spot, Nissanka spent over two years on the sidelines before his recall for the England tour. Mendis was the one to make way leaving Nissanka at three, before he made the step up when Madushka was dropped at The Oval.
If his maiden hundred in the West Indies was the preamble to Nissanka's Test career, what could follow now has the makings to be a glorious career as an all-format Sri Lanka star. With an average of over 40 in both ODIs and Tests, and eight international hundreds to his name by the age of 26, his century at The Oval already puts him in magnificent company.
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