Sri Lanka beats England by 8 wickets for only its fourth test victory on English soil

LONDON (AP) — Sri Lanka earned only its fourth test victory on English soil after an unbeaten century by opener Pathum Nissanka helped secure an eight-wicket win in the third and final match of the series against England at The Oval on Monday.

England won the series 2-1 but missed out on a second clean sweep of its international summer, having defeated the West Indies 3-0 in July.

Starting Day 4 on 94-1 and requiring 125 more runs to win, the Sri Lankans needed barely two hours to complete the job in clinical fashion. The platform was built on Sunday when they skittled England for 156 in just 34 overs and were given a victory target of 219.

Nissanka underpinned the chase with his second test hundred, reaching three figures in 107 balls and finishing 127 not out as Sri Lanka got to 219 in 40.3 overs.

The diminutive opener, who struck 13 fours and two sixes, spread his arms wide and soaked in the applause inside a half-full ground after passing 100, then kissed his bat and looked to the sky. His other century was against the West Indies in 2021, his first year in the Sri Lankan test team.

The quality of his knock raised the question why he didn't start the first test against England at Old Trafford last month, before he was recalled for the second test at Lord's.

Fittingly, it was Nissanka who scored the clinching runs with a cut for four.

The tourists’ previous test wins in England came in 1998 – that famous 10-wicket victory in a one-off test at The Oval – as well as at Trent Bridge in 2006 and Headingley in 2014.

This latest one looked unlikely after they won the toss but couldn’t capitalize on perfect bowling conditions on Day 1, which England ended on 221-3. It was all Sri Lanka after that, however, as England got sloppy and occasionally reckless.

The only wicket to fall on Monday was that of Kusal Mendis (39), who pulled a delivery from Gus Atkinson and saw Shoaib Bashir take a diving catch in the deep.

Angelo Mathews was unbeaten on 32 alongside Nissanka at the end, with the pair putting on 111 runs in an unbroken stand for the third wicket.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews in action on day four of the Third Rothesay Men's Test at The Kia Oval, in London, Monday Sept. 9, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka on day four of the Third Rothesay Men's Test at The Kia Oval, in London, Monday Sept. 9, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka in action on day four of the Third Rothesay Men's Test at The Kia Oval, in London, Monday Sept. 9, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)

England's Olly Stone in action on day four of the Third Rothesay Men's Test at The Kia Oval, in London, Monday Sept. 9, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)

England's Shoaib Bashir, center, celebrates with team-mates after taking the catch of Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis on day four of the Third Rothesay Men's Test at The Kia Oval, London, Monday Sept. 9, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka on day four of the Third Rothesay Men's Test at The Kia Oval, in London, Monday Sept. 9, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka in action on day four of the Third Rothesay Men's Test at The Kia Oval, in London, Monday Sept. 9, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka reacts after diving to make up ground on day four of the Third Rothesay Men's Test at The Kia Oval, in London, Monday Sept. 9, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka celebrates reaching his century on day four of the Third Rothesay Men's Test at The Kia Oval, in London, Monday Sept. 9, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy" Combs, the hip-hop mogul who has faced a stream of allegations by women accusing him of sexual assault, was arrested late Monday in New York after he was indicted by a federal grand jury.

The indictment was sealed and details of the charges weren't immediately announced by prosecutors, but the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, Damian Williams, confirmed in a statement that federal agents had Combs in custody.

“We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time," Williams said in a statement.

Combs was arrested in a Manhattan hotel lobby, according to a person familiar with the arrest who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said Combs had been cooperating with the investigation and had relocated to New York last week in anticipation of charges being brought.

“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office," Agnifilo said, describing his client as a music icon and a “loving family man.”

“He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal,” Agnifilo said in a statement, adding "Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

The criminal charges are a major but not unexpected takedown of one of the most prominent producers and most famous names in the history of hip-hop.

The federal investigation of Combs, 58, was revealed when Homeland Security Investigations agents served simultaneous search warrants and raided Combs' mansions in Los Angeles and Miami on March 25.

A day after the raids, his attorney Aaron Dyer called them “a gross use of military-level force,” said the allegations were “meritless."

Combs, then known as Puff Daddy, was at the center of the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop battles of the 1990s as the partner and producer of the Notorious B.I.G., who was shot and killed in 1997. But like many of those who survived the era, his public image had softened with age into a genteel host of parties in Hollywood and the Hamptons, a fashion-forward businessman, and a doting father who spoiled his kids, some of whom lost their mother in 2018.

But a different image began emerging in November, when his former protege and girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, became the first of several people to sue him for sexual abuse with stories of a steady stream of sex workers in drug-fueled settings where some of those involved were coerced or cajoled into sex.

In her November lawsuit, Cassie alleged years of abuse, including beatings and rape. Her suit also alleged Combs engaged in sex trafficking by “requiring her to engage in forced sexual acts in multiple jurisdictions” and by engaging in “harboring and transportation of Plaintiff for purposes of sex induced by force, fraud, or coercion.”

It also said he compelled her to help him traffic male sex workers Combs would force Cassie to have sex with while he filmed.

The suit was settled the following day, but its reverberations would last far longer. Combs lost lingering allies, supporters and those reserving judgment when CNN in May aired a leaked video of him punching Cassie, kicking her and throwing her on the floor in a hotel hallway.

The next day, in his first real acknowledgement of wrongdoing since the stream of allegations began, Combs posted a social media video apologizing, saying “I was disgusted when I did it” and “I’m disgusted now.” Cassie’s lawsuit was followed by at least a half-dozen others in the ensuing months.

In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging Combs coerced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them.

Another of Combs’ accusers was a woman who said the rap producer raped her two decades ago when she was 17.

Another woman who filed a lawsuit, April Lampros, said she was a college student in 1994 when she met Combs, and a series of “terrifying sexual encounters” with Combs and those around him began that lasted for years.

Combs and his attorneys denied nearly all of the lawsuits’ allegations.

While authorities did not publicly say that the lawsuits set off the criminal investigation, Dyer said when the warrants were served that the case was based on “meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.”

The AP does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly as Cassie and Lampros did.

As the founder of Bad Boy Records, Combs became one of the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades Along with the Notorious B.I.G. he worked with a slew of top-tier artists including Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112.

Combs’ roles in his businesses beyond music — including lucrative private-label spirits, a media company and the Sean John Fashion line — took major hits when the allegations arose.

The consequences were even greater when the leaked beating video emerged. Howard University cut ties with him, and he returned his key to the city of New York at the request of the mayor.

Combs has faced various arrests before, and decades ago he was at the center of one of the biggest hip-hop industry trials of its era.

That trial stemmed from a Manhattan nightclub shooting that injured three people in 1999. His then-girlfriend, singer and actor Jennifer Lopez, was also there when the shots rang out.

Combs ultimately was acquitted of charges that he took an illegal gun into the club and tried to bribe his driver to take the fall for the weapon. His then-protégé, Shyne, was convicted of assault and other charges in the shooting and served about eight years in prison. Now going by Moses Barrow, he’s a member of the House of Representatives in his native Belize.

Also in 1999, Combs was arrested on a charge of beating up a record executive in New York. Combs pleaded guilty to harassment, which is a violation, and was sentenced to an anger management class.

Dalton reported from Los Angeles.

FILE - Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the LA Premiere of "The Four: Battle For Stardom" at the CBS Radford Studio Center on May 30, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)