Sri Lanka has produced some of the greatest batters of all time, including but not limited to Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, and Angelo Matthews. All of these players have guided Sri Lanka to famous test wins not only at home but on foreign soil as well. While scoring match-winning runs is an impressive feat, it becomes doubly remarkable when done on foreign soil as the conditions are challenging. Over the years, several Sri Lankan players have played such knocks, some of which have proved crucial for series wins, and here we look at 10 of the most amazing ones.
1. Angelo Mathews
In 2014, Sri Lanka was playing against England at Leeds, and batting to set a target in the second innings. With a meagre lead of 68, Angelo Matthews came out to bat and put on a partnership with Jayawardene before Sri Lanka started losing wickets from the other end. Finally, Rangana Herath held on, allowing Matthews to score 160 runs before falling to Jimmy Anderson. The knock won them the game and also the series.
2. Mahela Jayawardene
In what was Sri Lanka’s first-ever win on the Caribbean soil, Jayawardene scored a stylish century and took his team to a formidable first-innings total of 476 runs. His knock of 136 runs included 13 boundaries, and it proved crucial as Sri Lanka bundled out for just 240 runs in the second innings. His crucial knock made sure the target was plentiful, winning the match by 121 runs in the end.
3. Sanath Jayasuriya
Batting in the second innings of the first test at Faisalabad, Jayasuriya held on to one end as wickets kept falling around him, with the only significant contributions being the fifties scored each by Sangakkara and Jayawardene. There were six single-digit scores as Jayasuriya played a crucial knock of 253, which included 33 fours and four sixes. His performance ensured Sri Lanka a mammoth win of 201 runs over Pakistan.
4. Mahela Jayawardene
India put up a formidable total of 426 runs in the first innings of the first test in Ahmedabad. It pressured Sri Lanka to fight back and stay alive in the match. Out came Jayawardene and scored 275 runs, a knock which lasted for over 10 hours, and which was sculpted by 27 fours and a maximum. Thanks to this knock, Sri Lanka declared a mammoth score of 760 runs, which forced India to bat for a long time, thereby ending the test match in a draw.
5. Kumar Sangakkara
Having won the first test, Sri Lanka needed either a draw or a win to take the series home. Batting first, Sri Lanka put on a massive 576 runs, courtesy of Sangakkara’s only triple century, for which he hit 32 fours and eight sixes. Bangladesh responded strongly, and it was up to Sri Lanka to set a sizable target. Again, Sangakkara scored an excellent century, scoring 424 runs in the match. The match ended in a draw, and Sri Lanka won the series 1-0.
6. Arvinda de Silva
Playing at Rawalpindi in the first test of three-match series, Sri Lanka restricted Pakistan to a low first-innings total of 182. Coming on to bat, de Silva played a crucial knock of 112 runs with 12 boundaries, to take his team to a sizable total of 353. The resulting lead was handy as Pakistan played well in the second innings. Sri Lanka won the match by a narrow margin of 2 wickets and went on to win the series.
7. Marvan Atapattu
Sri Lanka built up on the massive total they had scored in the first test by scoring a gigantic 713 runs in the second test. Atapattu, leading the side, scored a massive double-century alongside Sangakkara, who seconded him. Atapattu’s knock included 36 fours and a maximum. Thanks to this incredible batting performance, Sri Lanka batted only once, winning the match by a behemoth innings and 254 runs. Atapattu was named the player of the series.
8. Dimuth Karunaratne
Karunaratne’s knock of 196 in the first innings proved invaluable as Sri Lanka bundled out only 96 runs in the second runs. This match-winning knock included 19 fours, and a maximum. It provided the bowlers with the runs they needed to restrict Pakistan to 248 in the second innings, thereby winning the game by 68 runs and taking the series home.
9. Kumar Sangakkara
It was the final of the Asian Test Championship in Lahore and Sri Lanka had managed to restrict Pakistan to a first-innings total of 234. They needed a big score to take a healthy lead and advance in the game. Up stepped Sangakkara with a brilliant double century, comprising 33 fours and three sixes. His knock meant a vast score for Sri Lanka, leaving them a negligible target to get for the win.
10. Kusal Perera
Chasing a target of 304 runs, Sri Lanka was in trouble with half the back into the pavilion on 110 runs. Perera added to his fifty in the first innings, and played an incredible knock of 153 not out to guide Sri Lanka to a thrilling one-wicket win over South Africa in Durban. His resilient knock lasted over 5 hours and contributed to the 2-0 series win over the Proteas.
