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England's stand-in captain Ollie Pope roared back to form with a brisk hundred on Day 1 of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval on Friday. The Surrey battet reached the landmark with a boundary on the off-side to became the first player to score his first seven centuries against as many different oppositions.
Pope notched up his first century against South Africa in 2020, followed by efforts against New Zealand (2022), Pakistan (2022), Ireland (2023), India (2024), West Indies (2024) and Sri Lanka (2024).
His century on Friday came in the 44th over of the innings when he drove one in front of point off Asitha Fernando and removed his helmet to celebrate.
Here's the video of his celebration:
The 26-year-old was under pressure coming into the Test, as he had registered scores of 6, 6, 1 and 17 at Old Trafford and Lord's against Sri Lanka. Hence, he needed a big score to redeem himself as captain.
England lose Dan Lawrence, Ben Ducket and Joe Root before Ollie Pope hits ton
Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and elected to bowl first under overcast conditions. England made a promising start before losing Dan Lawrence for five. Ben Duckett marched on briskly but missed out on a well-deserved century, falling for 86.
Joe Root, the highest run-getter of the series from either side, was the next to perish, managing only 13. Play had to be stopped for over an hour due to bad light and rain. The second interruption occurred almost immediately after Pope had reached the three-figure mark, and eventually, stumps were called
The home side will resume on Day 2 at 221-3, with vice-captain Harry Brook batting alongside the captain. England have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series as they eye a whitewash.
