Stand-in skipper Olly Pope is back amongst the runs with an unbeaten century, putting England in a position of strength on the light-affected opening day of the third Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval.
The hosts announced their playing XI two days before the game, handing a Test debut to 20-year-old left-arm pacer Josh Hull, replacing Matthew Potts.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, named their playing XI a day before the match started, making a couple of changes.
Kusal Mendis, who was dropped after the first match, was brought back to the side in place of the out-of-form Nishan Madushka. Vishwa Fernando also returned for Prabath Jayasuriya, creating a four-seam attack.
Once again, Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and decided to bowl first in helpful conditions for the seamers.
However, despite the overcast conditions, the Lankan pacers struggled to find consistency in their lines and lengths, allowing Ben Duckett to bat freely and find boundaries with ease.
After a 45-run opening stand, Lahiru Kumara provided the first breakthrough for the visitors. Dan Lawrence, who has been struggling with form, got a leading edge attempting a pull shot, offering an easy catch to the fielder at gully.
The morning session only lasted 15 overs as rain and bad light intervened, forcing an early lunch.
After nearly a 3-hour break, play resumed, and the runs continued to flow for Duckett and Pope, who stitched together a 95-run partnership for the second wicket.
The left-handed opener played an entertaining knock but fell just short of a century. He played scoops to great effect, but one attempt too many led to his dismissal.
Duckett’s innings ended on 86 off 79 balls when he gave an easy catch to Chandimal behind the stumps off Milan Rathnayake.
Joe Root, who has been a major headache for Sri Lanka throughout the series, was dismissed early by Lahiru Kumara, caught at fine leg after a half-century stand with Pope.
Olly Pope, playing at his home ground, returned to form, bringing up his 7th Test century. Notably, Pope became the first player to score his first seven hundreds against different opponents in Test history.
Shortly after Pope’s century, the play was halted again, with only 44.1 overs possible on the opening day.
England ended the day in a strong position, maintaining a scoring rate of 5 runs per over. Kumara picked up two wickets but was more expensive than the other Lankan bowlers.
Stumps
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Duckett | c Dinesh Chandimal b Milan Rathnayake | 86 | 79 | 9 | 2 | 108.86 |
| Dan Lawrence | c Pathum Nissanka b Lahiru Kumara | 5 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 23.81 |
| Ollie Pope | not out | 103 | 103 | 13 | 2 | 100.00 |
| Joe Root | c Vishwa Fernando b Lahiru Kumara | 13 | 48 | 1 | 0 | 27.08 |
| Harry Brook | not out | 8 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 57.14 |
| Extras | 6 (b 4 , lb 1 , nb 0, w 1, pen 0) |
| Total | 221/3 (44.1 Overs, RR: 5) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asitha Fernando | 14 | 0 | 58 | 0 | 4.14 | |
| Vishwa Fernando | 7 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 4.14 | |
| Lahiru Kumara | 12.1 | 1 | 81 | 2 | 6.69 | |
| Milan Rathnayake | 8 | 2 | 34 | 1 | 4.25 | |
| Angelo Mathews | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 4.67 | |
