- England vice-captain Ollie Pope achieved a unique milestone by scoring his seventh Test century on the first day of the third Test against Sri Lanka. Pope remained unbeaten on 103 as he led England’s innings at The Oval.
Everything was ready for a day of bowling in South London. Even though a thunderstorm had hit at 5 a.m., the skies stayed overcast all day. With the floodlights on and a bit of moisture in the air, Dhananjaya de Silva, who’s used to batting under Manchester’s cloudy skies and bowling in the sun at Lord’s, wasn’t going to let this chance slip by.
Winning the toss was only useful if it was backed up by disciplined bowling. With the day being repeatedly interrupted by erratic lighting, which led to a three-hour delay and an early finish at 5:54 p.m. when the light meters were met with boos, Sri Lanka’s four-man seam attack couldn’t make the most of the conditions. England, already leading 2-0 and keen to make an impression, quickly racked up 221 for three in just 44.1 overs.
Ollie Pope shone brightly in this final Test of the summer, despite some doubts about his position at No. 3 due to recent low scores. The Oval, with its familiar atmosphere and sights, is where he excels, and his first-class record here is outstanding. Just before the early finish, Pope drove Asitha Fernando through the covers to claim his seventh Test century. Remarkably, he is the first player ever to score their first seven centuries against different opponents.
The relief in the middle was palpable—almost divine—after Pope had taken a few hits to the elbow during his innings. His hard work in the nets since Lord’s clearly paid off, as this innings was smooth and fluent, rather than a struggle, capitalizing on any loose deliveries with 13 fours and two sixes. With day two approaching, Pope has the chance to add to his unbeaten 103; no matter what unfolds, he can look forward to a well-deserved, restful night’s sleep.
On another day, Ben Duckett could have easily been the standout performer. The left-hander dazzled with his usual energy, scoring 86 off 79 balls with his signature flair. His innings, which stretched through the long break, featured a series of ramps and scoops off Lahiru Kumara. It concluded when he attempted—and missed—replicating the shot against Milan Rathnayake. This was a quintessential Duckett finish to a quintessential Duckett innings, highlighting the inherent risk of his aggressive style.
As England kept up a steady scoring rate of exactly five runs an over, it was another frustrating day for Sri Lanka on a tour that started with a competitive Test match in Manchester but has since unraveled. The key moment for the visitors was dismissing the in-form Joe Root for just 13 runs, though, like Duckett and Dan Lawrence before him, it was due to a lapse in judgment. Root’s pull shot, caught easily at long leg, at least provided some reward for Lahiru Kumara, a seamer who has revitalized their attack since Lord’s.
The partnership of Pope and Duckett, combined with the afternoon’s clearer skies, eased some—though not all—of the day’s frustration. Play was halted from 12:19 p.m. to 3:10 p.m., leaving spectators to wander the concourses and possibly question why they had taken a day off to watch a sport that, in 2024, can still be disrupted by bad light. While player safety is essential, it’s also important to consider the future of Test cricket.
Possible solutions could include using a pink ball to keep play going, as conditions in Test matches often fluctuate, and ball changes—like the pivotal one at Old Trafford—are now routine. Nonetheless, it’s important to note that England’s batters weren’t struggling in the dark.
Duckett had cruised to a 48-ball half-century early on, surviving a few early plays and misses—and an inside edge that narrowly missed his stumps—before advancing down the pitch twice to Rathnayake and delivering a couple of powerful shots. When the light meters were brought out, leading to an early lunch with the score at 76 for one from 15 overs, Duckett had every reason to share the spectators’ frustration.
The only wicket to fall during this shortened session was Lawrence, who was dismissed for a single-digit score, which wasn’t entirely surprising. Opening the batting has been challenging for everyone this summer—Duckett is the only one averaging over 30. Lawrence, a middle-order player pressed into the opening spot, continued to struggle with balancing his natural instincts and the need to respect the hard new Dukes ball.
In the end, despite Duckett’s impressive performance, Lawrence couldn’t hold off the challenge. He tried an ambitious pull shot off Kumara, top-edged it high into the sky, and started heading back to the dressing room before the ball had even begun its descent into the waiting hands. Lawrence now has one last innings to prove himself as the backup batter for the winter, with the uncapped Jordan Cox also competing for the spot.
Another player hoping to make the cut is Josh Hull—described by Brendon McCullum as “6ft heaps and from good farming stock”—who will be hoping for overcast conditions when his chance comes. Despite the challenges, receiving his cap from Andrew Flintoff and seeing his mother tear up during the team huddle made it a memorable day for Hull.
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