It was a particular Friday for Ollie Pope. He had managed a mere 30 runs in 4 earlier innings since succeeding the injured Ben Stokes as England skipper in the beginning of the sequence in opposition to Sri Lanka. However he returned to type in fashion Ollie Pope returned to type on his Oval residence floor with a primary hundred as England captain on Friday’s opening day of the third Check in opposition to Sri Lanka. However when unhealthy gentle ended play for the day Pope was a run-a-ball 103 not out, with England well-placed on 221-3.
It was Pope’s seventh seventh century in Check cricket. Apparently, every of his first seven centuries got here in opposition to completely different opponents – a primary within the 147-year historical past of Check cricket.
Sri Lanka, already 2-0 down on this three-match sequence, did not profit from overcast situations and a green-tinged pitch after captain Dhananjaya de Silva gained the toss.
And England ought to arguably have had one other century-maker on Friday, with opener Ben Duckett, not for the primary time, giving his wicket away after making 86.
Duckett praised his skipper for ignoring the feedback from the likes of former England captain Michael Vaughan, who questioned whether or not Pope might address the competing calls for of management and batting at No 3.
“It should not be the case however there was various noise round Popey within the final couple of weeks,” Duckett instructed reporters after stumps.
“To dam that out and rating an unbelievable hundred was so good,” he added following Pope’s twelfth first-class hundred on his Surrey residence floor.
A uncommon vivid spot for struggling Sri Lanka was the dismissal of Joe Root for 13 shortly earlier than tea.
Root was recent from two a whole bunch in a 190-run win at Lord’s the place he set a brand new England report of 34 Check centuries.
England, who swept the West Indies 3-0 earlier this season, are chasing their first residence Check marketing campaign clear sweep since 2004, when Vaughan oversaw seven successive wins.
Duckett was quickly into his stride, with the left-hander cover-driving fours off successive Milan Rathnayake deliveries.
It was a distinct story for makeshift opener Dan Lawrence, a middle-order batsman by commerce.
Lawrence was pressured to face the brand new ball this sequence within the absence of the injured Zak Crawley.
He had made simply 5 when he received in a tangle in opposition to a short-pitched Lahiru Kumara supply and top-edged a easy catch to gully.
Quantity three Pope, who made 100 in opposition to the West Indies at Trent Bridge in July, received off the mark in fashion by slicing a unfastened ball from quick bowler Rathnayake for 4 after which hooked a six off Kumara.
The 29-year-old Duckett, in the meantime, accomplished a speedy fifty off simply 48 balls, together with seven fours.
Even with the floodlights on, the umpires determined it was too harmful to proceed and stopped play for unhealthy gentle, with England 76-1 off 15 overs. Rain then fell as nicely and the match didn’t resume till 1410 GMT.
It was not lengthy earlier than Duckett ramped Kumara for six over effective leg and uppercut him excessive over third ma, with all of Sri Lanka’s four-man tempo assault struggling to keep up a difficult line and size.
However Duckett, in sight of simply his fourth century in 26 Assessments, was out when he miscued an extravagant scoop off Rathnayake to wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal, with England 140-2.
“While you play like that for a interval you possibly can’t actually kick your self however I’ve clearly missed out on a Check hundred there,” stated Duckett.
“It is perhaps a studying day for me nevertheless it’s a shot I have been pondering of enjoying in Check cricket for a very long time. It felt like the fitting choice.”
The 26-year-old Pope was lucky with a top-edged six off Kumara however the persevering paceman did have Root hooking to effective leg, the place Vishwa Fernando held onto the catch regardless of slipping on the moist turf.
Surrey favorite Pope, 84 not out at tea, went to his first Check hundred on the Oval, when he stylishly square-drove Asitha Fernando for his thirteenth 4 in 102 balls, additionally together with two sixes.
Within the course of Pope, enjoying his forty ninth match at this degree, grew to become the primary participant to attain his first seven Check centuries in opposition to completely different groups.
With AFP inputs
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