Ollie Pope made a timely return to form as he brought up his seventh century for England to inject a spark into an otherwise gloomy first day of the third Test at the Kia Oval.
Pope (103no) ensured the fans who had waited patiently through the rain delay were entertained as he brought up his milestone, the first on his home ground, with a boundary guided in front of point.
After losing the toss and being made to bat first in the final Test of the three-match series, the hosts were reduced to 76-1 before bad light and rain forced an early lunch at 12.40pm, with opener Ben Duckett (86) offering the most resistance with his 10th half-century after his counterpart Dan Lawrence (5) was removed in the 10th over.
When play resumed at 3.10pm, Duckett and Pope motored England past 100 before the former was dismissed scooping Milan Rathnayake (1-34) behind to Sri Lanka’s wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal to leave the hosts 140-2.
Joe Root added 13 to England’s tally but was prematurely dismissed after he top-edged Lahiru Kumara (2-81) to fine leg, where Vishwa Fernando safely took the catch despite a stumble.
Pope’s enterprising knock was forced to a halt at 5.55pm after bad light once again frustrated England’s innings, forcing the players off with the hosts on a commanding 221-3 before play was abandoned at 6.29pm.
Pope’s century quietens critics
Dan Lawrence’s (5) troubles with the bat continued after he was dismissed by Kumara in the 10th over to offer Sri Lanka their breakthrough.
Lawrence attempted to pull the right-arm pacer but instead top-edged a short ball to Pathum Nissanka at gully, who had plenty of time to settle underneath it and take the catch, leaving the 29-year-old to make his way to the dugout looking visibly disappointed.
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Dan Lawrence was caught off a loose shot to give Sri Lanka their first wicket of the final Test against England at The Oval
Lawrence, who came into the side as a replacement for the injured Zak Crawley (finger), has been unable to leave a memorable impression on the England selectors after racking up combined scores of 64 and 16 in the first and second Tests respectively, with his highest being 34 at Old Trafford.
Duckett’s Bazball-esque form continued as he belted a short and wide delivery from Sri Lanka’s left-arm quick Vishwa (0-29) through the covers for three to reach his half-century off 48 balls.
The 29-year-old England opener showed off his array of shots as he scooped Kumara over the fine leg and third man boundary for two sixes in the 25th over.
However, it was that very shot that led to his dismissal after he was outdone by a lack of pace from Rathnayake and hit the ball straight into the hands of Chandimal.
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Watch as Ben Duckett is caught out for 86 and misses out on a hundred
Root’s 48-ball cameo contained one boundary before he became Kumara’s second scalp in the 39th over, leaving the hosts on 191-3.
Pope, who had plenty to prove to his critics, carried on from where Duckett left off, top-edging Kumara for a six and a four to bring up his 14th fifty.
He shared an unbeaten fourth-wicket partnership with Harry Brook (8no), hitting 13 fours and two sixes before the players were forced to leave the ground for the second time due to bad light with England on 221-3.
Duckett: I missed out on a Test hundred
England’s opener Ben Duckett (86 off 79 balls):
“I’ve obviously missed out on a Test hundred there. No one is more disappointed than I am in that.
“But I probably got from 50 to 86 by playing that way and it might be a learning day for me, but it’s a shot that I’ve been thinking about playing in Test cricket for a long time.
“I’m really happy that I’ve got that shot out today. It’s a shot that in white ball cricket I play really well and it’s something that I can definitely use more in Test cricket.
“Moving forward, I’m sure it won’t be the last time I play that shot.”
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Watch the best of Ben Duckett’s innings from day one of the third Test
On Ollie Pope’s century: “Everyone is so happy for anyone’s success in this dressing room, it’s an incredible place to be.
“There was a lot of noise around Pope. It shouldn’t be but there has been and I know what it’s like at the top of the order and he’s had a far better summer than I have.
“To block that out and score an incredible 100 was so good, you could see that from his emotions. We’re all extremely happy for him.
“People are paid to give their opinion which is completely fair enough and I saw Pope say that last week.
“To go two games without a big score is not a long time and facing the new ball in England, I know how tricky it can be. For Pope to go out there and express himself at a ground that he loves, it’s just credit to him.”
Watch day two of the third and final Test between England and Sri Lanka at Lord’s, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.15am on Saturday September 7 (first ball, 11am).
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