At The Oval in London, Sri Lanka defeated England in a historic Test match thanks to a brilliant century by Pathum Nissanka. With eight wickets remaining, the visitors reached the goal of 219 thanks to the opener’s undefeated 127 not out of 124 balls.
With this outcome, Sri Lanka salvaged a Test victory and staved off a humiliating defeat in England, capping an incredible performance and earning crucial World Test Championship points.
Remarkably, the 219 chase established a new benchmark for the most significant total attained by an Asian side touring England, underscoring the difficulty of winning in the fourth innings on English territory. The top five most successful chases that Asian teams have conducted in England are listed below.
5. England vs. Pakistan, Lord's 1992
On that tour, Pakistan, en route to a historic Test series victory, narrowly overcame England in a dramatic match at the home of cricket, Lord’s, scoring 141 runs with two wickets remaining.
The usual suspects were the stars of the fourth innings, as Pakistan was taken to victory at 95 for eight early in the innings thanks to a 46-run partnership between Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis for the ninth wicket.
Waqar claimed seven wickets in the match, including five in the opening innings, while Akram contributed six wickets. After winning the World Cup earlier, Pakistan’s cricket team had a fantastic year, crowned by their successful run chase.
4. England against Pakistan, The Oval, 2010
Eighteen years later, Pakistan surpassed their earlier triumph over England by winning the third Test of the notorious 2010 visit at The Oval by four wickets after chasing down 148 runs. Azhar Ali’s unbroken 92 gave Pakistan a 75-run lead in the first innings. Mohammed Amir’s five-wicket haul in the third innings left the visitors with a manageable but slightly tricky task.
With 48 runs, Captain Salman Butt led the charge in the chase and helped Pakistan win relatively easily. Unfortunately for Pakistan, the series was tainted by the controversy surrounding the spot-fixing of the fourth and final Test at Lord’s, which is best remembered for featuring Butt and Amir.
3. The Oval, India vs. England, 1971
India’s victory at The Oval in 1971—possibly the most well-known success on this list—secured the country’s first series victory and its first Test match victory in England. The visiting side achieved one of the most historic Test victories in history when they chased down 173 to surprise the home team.
The most memorable aspect of the victory is Bhagwat Chandrashekhar’s incredible six-wicket haul on day four, which destroyed the English batting and left India with two days to chase the score. With four wickets remaining, India managed to secure the victory thanks to the impressive efforts of their batters.
2. Headingley 2010: Australia vs. Pakistan
In a neutral Test match in 2010, Pakistan ended a 15-year losing record against Australia by chasing down 180 at Headingley. In the first innings of that encounter, Pakistan’s pacers wreaked havoc, bowling Australia out for just 88. After reaching just 258 in the third innings, Pakistan was unable to capitalize on its lead completely and allowed Australia to even the score thanks to half-centuries from Steve Smith, Michael Clarke, and Ricky Ponting.
At 137 for 1, Pakistan appeared to be winning the chase, but they lost the next five wickets for a mere 24 runs. Even with the collapse, they managed to win by three wickets.
1. England vs. Sri Lanka at The Oval in 2024
The most comfortable of the lot, Sri Lanka’s effort at The Oval saw them win by eight wickets, making it the only Asian team to chase 200 or more runs in an English match successfully.
After Ollie Pope’s 154, England appeared to be the favorites to win easily, but Kamindu Mendis kept up his impressive start to the Test match, keeping Sri Lanka in the hunt. Due to England’s collapse in the third innings on day four, Sri Lanka took advantage, with Lahiru Kumar getting four wickets.
Nissanka’s outstanding century on day five ensured there were no snags as Sri Lanka cruised home with plenty of wickets and time to spare. Nissanka was playing well and putting the pressure back on England.