England vs Sri Lanka Tests 2018: England Win 3-0 — Foakes Debut 107, Herath Farewell and 100th Galle Wicket, Leach 18 Wickets, Root 124, Bairstow 110, First England Series Win in SL Since 2001
England won the three-match Test series against Sri Lanka in November 2018 by 3-0 — their first Test series win in Sri Lanka since 2001. Ben Foakes was Player of the Series with 277 runs. 1st Test Galle (Nov 6-9): England won by 211 runs (ENG 342 & 322/6d — Foakes 107 on debut, only 2nd England keeper after Matt Prior to score debut century; Jennings 146*; Moeen Ali 4/66+4/71; SL 203 & 250; Herath's farewell Test — 100th Galle wicket in his final innings, only 3rd bowler after Murali and Anderson at one venue; PoM Foakes). 2nd Test Pallekele (Nov 14-18): England won by 57 runs (Root 124 PoM; Dananjaya career-best 6/115 later voided by illegal-action ban; Leach 5/83 maiden five-for; Moeen 4/72). 3rd Test SSC Colombo (Nov 23-26): England won by 42 runs (Bairstow 110 PoM). Leach and Moeen each took 18 series wickets; ENG spinners 48 wickets combined. Joe Root captained England.
England won the three-match Test series against Sri Lanka in November 2018 by 3-0 — a whitewash and their first Test series win in Sri Lanka since 2001. Ben Foakes was Player of the Series with 277 runs across the three Tests. 1st Test Galle International Stadium (Nov 6-9): England won by 211 runs — ENG 342 (Foakes 107 on debut) & 322/6d (Jennings 146*, Stokes 62); SL 203 & 250 (Moeen Ali 4/66 + 4/71; Perera 5/75 for SL). Player of the Match: Ben Foakes. Rangana Herath played his final Test and took his 100th wicket at the Galle ground in that match — one of only three bowlers in Test history (after Muralitharan and Anderson) to take 100 wickets at a single venue. 2nd Test Pallekele International Cricket Stadium (Nov 14-18): England won by 57 runs — ENG 290 (Curran 64, Buttler 63) & 346 (Root 124, Foakes 65*, Burns 59); SL 336 (Roshen Silva 85, Karunaratne 63; Ashwin... Mathews 88, Karunaratne 57 in SL 2nd innings of 243 — Leach 5/83, Moeen 4/72). Akila Dananjaya took 6/115 in England's 2nd innings — career best — but was later found to have an illegal bowling action and suspended by ICC. Player of the Match: Joe Root. 3rd Test Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo (Nov 23-26): England won by 42 runs — ENG 336 (Bairstow 110) & 230; SL 240 & 284. Player of the Match: Jonny Bairstow. Jack Leach and Moeen Ali each took 18 series wickets — England's spinners combined for 48 wickets across the three Tests. Joe Root captained England; Dinesh Chandimal (1st Test) and Suranga Lakmal (2nd and 3rd Tests) captained Sri Lanka.
Foakes Debut 107 at Galle: Second England Keeper to Century on Debut
Ben Foakes came in to bat at Galle in England's 1st innings with the scoreboard reading 103/5 — a position of some vulnerability on a turning pitch — and scored 107 to help England reach 342. At 25, he became only the second England wicketkeeper to score a Test century on debut, after Matt Prior's hundred against West Indies at Lord's in 2007. Foakes' innings combined good technique against SL's spinners (particularly Perera, who took 5/75) with the composure of an experienced player in only his first Test. His 277 series runs — including 107, 37, 65*, and further contributions in the 3rd Test — confirmed him as the most complete batting wicketkeeper England had fielded in years. His debut performance at Galle was also the counterpoint to Herath's farewell in the same match.
Herath's Farewell: 100th Galle Wicket in His Final Test
Rangana Herath announced before the series that he would retire after the 1st Test at Galle — the same ground where he had made his Test debut 19 years earlier. In his final match, he dismissed Joe Root in the 1st innings — that wicket was his 100th at the Galle venue. Only three bowlers in Test history have taken 100 wickets at a single venue: Muralitharan (primarily at Galle), James Anderson (at Lord's), and Herath (at Galle). Herath retired with 430 Test wickets in 93 Tests — the most by any left-arm spinner in Test history and the second-highest by any Sri Lankan after Muralitharan. The symmetry of beginning and ending his career at the same ground he'd bowled from for 19 years made the farewell one of the most fitting in recent Test cricket.
Leach, Moeen, and England's 48-Wicket Spin Domination
England's 3-0 series win was powered overwhelmingly by spin: Jack Leach and Moeen Ali each took 18 wickets, with England's spinners combining for 48 of the wickets to fall across the three Tests. Leach's 5/83 at Pallekele — his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests — was England's best individual bowling return of the series, dismissing Sri Lanka's 2nd innings to give England a 57-run win. Joe Root's 124 at Pallekele was the series' standout batting performance beyond Foakes' debut century — a match-anchoring innings in England's 2nd innings of 346 that gave them a first-innings lead they then defended. Jonny Bairstow's 110 in the 3rd Test at Colombo confirmed England's batting depth in conditions that asked more questions of technique and temperament than any home series. The 3-0 result was England's most comprehensive overseas Test series win in many years.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the England vs Sri Lanka Test series in 2018?
England won 3-0 — their first Test series win in Sri Lanka since 2001. England won all three Tests: Galle by 211 runs (Foakes debut 107; Herath farewell/100th Galle wicket), Pallekele by 57 runs (Root 124 PoM; Leach 5/83), Colombo by 42 runs (Bairstow 110 PoM). Ben Foakes won Player of the Series with 277 runs. Leach and Moeen each took 18 wickets.
What did Rangana Herath achieve in his farewell Test?
Herath took his 100th wicket at Galle in his final Test — the ground where he had debuted 19 years earlier. He became only the third bowler in Test history (after Muralitharan and Anderson) to take 100 wickets at a single Test venue. He retired with 430 Test wickets in 93 Tests — the most by any left-arm spinner in history and second-highest by any Sri Lankan after Muralitharan.