Ollie Pope’s resurgence as England’s captain continued on Friday as he notched his maiden century in the role during the first day of the third Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval.
Pope, playing on his home ground, rediscovered his batting touch, scoring an unbeaten 103 off just 103 balls. His innings propelled England to a strong position of 221-3 at the close of play, despite poor light conditions forcing an early end to the day.
Sri Lanka, who trail the three-match series 2-0, won the toss and opted to field first. However, they failed to capitalize on the overcast skies and green-tinged pitch, as England’s openers made a solid start.
Ben Duckett, who missed out on a century on Friday, struck consecutive fours off Milan Rathnayake’s deliveries. However, Dan Lawrence, playing as a makeshift opener, struggled and was dismissed for just five runs.
Pope, batting at number three, got off to a positive start, cutting a loose delivery from Rathnayake for four and later hooking a six off Lahiru Kumara. Duckett raced to a brisk fifty in just 48 balls, including seven boundaries.
Despite the floodlights being on, the umpires deemed conditions too unsafe to continue and halted play due to bad light. Rain further delayed the match, which resumed at 1410 GMT.
Duckett continued his aggressive approach, ramping Kumara for six over fine leg and then uppercutting him high over third man. However, he fell short of his fourth Test century when he mistimed a scoop off Rathnayake and was caught by wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal.
Pope, 26, had a stroke of luck when a top-edged six off Kumara went his way. He completed his seventh Test hundred – and his first at The Oval – when he elegantly square-drove Asitha Fernando for his 13th boundary.
However, bad light once again forced the players off the field, and no further play was possible on Friday.
England, who have already secured a 3-0 victory against the West Indies earlier in the season, are now aiming for their first clean sweep in a home Test campaign since 2004.
