1st Time In 147 Years: England’s Ollie Pope Achieves What Don Bradman, Sachin Tendulkar Could not

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 kind in type Ollie Pope returned to kind on his Oval house floor with a primary hundred as England captain on Friday’s opening day of the third Check in opposition to Sri Lanka. However when dangerous mild 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. Curiously, 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 take advantage of overcast situations and a green-tinged pitch after captain Dhananjaya de Silva received 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 numerous noise round Popey within the final couple of weeks,” Duckett informed reporters after stumps.

“To dam that out and rating an unimaginable hundred was so good,” he added following Pope’s twelfth first-class hundred on his Surrey house floor.

A uncommon brilliant spot for struggling Sri Lanka was the dismissal of Joe Root for 13 shortly earlier than tea.

Root was recent from two tons of in a 190-run win at Lord’s the place he set a brand new England document of 34 Check centuries.  

England, who swept the West Indies 3-0 earlier this season, are chasing their first house 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 unique story for makeshift opener Dan Lawrence, a middle-order batsman by commerce.

Lawrence was compelled 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 type by reducing a free 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 dangerous mild, with England 76-1 off 15 overs. Rain then fell as properly and the match didn’t resume till 1410 GMT.

It was not lengthy earlier than Duckett ramped Kumara for six over high quality leg and uppercut him excessive over third ma, with all of Sri Lanka’s four-man tempo assault struggling to take care of a difficult line and size.

However Duckett, in sight of simply his fourth century in 26 Exams, 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 may’t actually kick your self however I’ve clearly missed out on a Check hundred there,” stated Duckett.

“It is likely to be a studying day for me but it surely’s a shot I have been considering of taking part in in Check cricket for a very long time. It felt like the correct choice.”

The 26-year-old Pope was lucky with a top-edged six off Kumara however the persevering paceman did have Root hooking to high quality 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, taking part in 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