England’s Ollie Pope shines with a brilliant century, leading the charge against Sri Lanka on Day 1 of the Oval Test. Read more about the day’s action and insights.
England shut the opening day of the third Test against Sri Lanka in commanding position with Ollie Pope’s spectacular century leading from the front. On a day that was repeatedly interrupted by bad light and weather, England stood strong at 221 for 3 as play was called off at 6:30 pm. Pope’s unbeaten 103 proved to be the highlight of the day as England stamped their authority over a struggling Sri Lankan side.
See also: Joe Root and Gus Atkinson lead England 358/7: Lord’s Test
A Century of Meaning for Pope
Ollie Pope’s seventh Test hundred meant more than just the mark of another milestone. Coming off four low scores in a series already won by England, Pope was under pressure. Replacing the injured Ben Stokes in the middle order only increased scrutiny. His innings of 103, reached in exactly 103 balls, was a statement-one of resilience and determination under pressure.
This century was also important because it was his first against Sri Lanka – the seventh different opposition Pope has scored a century against in Test cricket. Stokes, looking on from the changing-room balcony, nodded in appreciation as Pope raised his bat – a marker of how big an innings this was.
See also: Pathum Nissanka’s Heroics 127 Lead Sri Lanka to Historic Win Over England
Duckett’s Dynamic Knock
While Pope provided the stability, the more attacking mindset of England came from Ben Duckett’s explosive 86 off just 79 balls. Duckett was in his elements as the attacking player, dispatching the Sri Lankan bowlers with ease- most of all, to Lahiru Kumara, who was at the receiving end of his attack-filled stroke play.
See also: Pathum Nissanka’s Heroics 127 Lead Sri Lanka to Historic Win Over England
A bright and breezy partnership of 95 between Duckett and Pope put England firmly in the box seat after an early wicket had fallen. Dan Lawrence, opening in the place of the injured Zak Crawley, had once again failed to impress with a cautious 5 off 21 deliveries, leaving more questions than answers about his place in the team.
Early Setbacks and a Rain Delay
The day didn’t quite start that well for England, Lawrence’s struggles continuing. He had taken 10 balls to get off the mark, a couple of runs, before an ill-judged pull shot off Kumara shortly afterwards was a simple catch to gully.
Bad light and intermittent rain delayed the start of play by almost three hours before the Duckett-Pope show could get underway, an increasingly frustratingly long delay given that it never really rained that heavily. But once they were off, Duckett and Pope made up for lost time as a weary Sri Lankan bowling attack focused on seeing out the day with as little damage as possible.
Duckett reached his half-century with an imperious boundary through the covers as Pope seemed equally assured from the other end. Even though he fell a little short of the three-figure mark, the innings had already put England in command.
Root and Pope Steer the Ship
After Duckett’s fall, Joe Root joined Pope at the crease. Root made 13 runs from 48 balls but was very instrumental in playing a supporting role to extricate his team out of a tight position after the fall of Duckett. His partnership with Pope so far helped England get past that phase. Root was finally caught at fine leg off Kumara, but by then England had a good platform laid.
Undeterred by the loss of partners, Pope continued to press on. The stroke play was elegant and assured, epitomizing confidence gained as his top-edge six over the keeper’s head was followed by a four through backward point. He chose his shots judiciously, picking gaps beautifully and dispatching loose deliveries with authority.
Having collected just four runs in as many overs after a quiet spell, Pope broke the shackles with a perfectly-timed cover drive off Angelo Mathews. The riskier shots soon followed and fortune favored Pope as he threaded a couple of boundaries between the slip cordon and gully.
Struggles for Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, who opted to bowl first, did not make much of the early wicket of Lawrence as their bowlers did not get much sting from the track, and though Kumara picked up two wickets, his wayward line and length meant England could score at will.
Debutant Rathnayake was lively in patches but never had the consistency required to ruffle an otherwise settled England batting lineup. Vishwa Fernando and Mathews toiled hard, but once the rain cleared up, the conditions never were anywhere near assuring for the bowlers.
The decision-making in the field, too, left much to be desired for Sri Lanka. The hosts were, at times, aggressive in their shot selection and Sri Lanka seemed quite content to let the game drift, failing to apply sustained pressure on the batsmen.
The Importance of Pope’s Knock
With the series already 2-0 in favour of England, this Test might have not been carrying as much weight in terms of the result. But this century was crucial for Ollie Pope. Having managed just a highest of 18 in his four innings before, a lot of pressure was mounting upon him. Even more so, with Stokes absent and Pope leading the team as vice-captain, he needed to lead from the front, and he did precisely that.
The hundred was a message not just to his critics but to himself-that he belonged at this level, capable of delivering when the spotlight is on him. His innings, combined with Duckett’s fireworks, ensured that England ended the day in a dominant position.
Conclusion: England in the Driving Seat
With England closing the day at 221 for 3, thanks to a fantastic century by Pope and an attacking innings by Duckett, it has been all square for the home team. Sri Lanka will have to get their act together fast if they are to put up some kind of challenge on the remaining days of this Test. For now, though, this day indisputably belonged to Ollie Pope, courtesy of a century that mattered – for England, for his career.