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Ollie Pope shook off his run of poor form since stepping up as England’s stand-in captain with an unbeaten on 84 on the first afternoon of the final Test against Sri Lanka.
Back on his home ground at the Kia Oval – where he has scored 11 of his 20 first-class centuries and averages more than 80 for Surrey – he lifted the hosts to a strong position of 194 for three at tea.
Pope mustered just 30 runs in his first four innings of the series, inviting awkward questions over the his ability to bear the weight of the leadership, but he provided a fitting response.
After being sent in under gloomy skies, and with the floodlights in full effect from the start, he was brave enough to indulge his more aggressive instincts and cashed in to the tune of nine fours and two sixes.
Pope’s Surrey team-mate Dan Lawrence also needed a score to settle himself after a lean time as the team’s makeshift opener, but he came up short as a botched pull shot sent him on his way for just five.
That was a stroke of good fortune for a Sri Lanka side whose attack lacked consistency, bite and direction and Ben Duckett put England back in charge with an impulsive 86 either side of long delay for bad light and drizzle.
His lack of patience cost him a century, caught attempting a third pre-meditated ramp in quick succession, but Pope will be desperate to convert.
Sri Lanka looked to have perfect bowling conditions under thick grey clouds but needed an error from Lawrence to gain their only breakthrough of a shortened morning session. Lawrence shaped to drag Lahiru Kumara into the leg side but had a late change of heart and only managed to loop an ugly top edge to gully.
The Surrey batter threw his head back in dismay long before the ball settled in Pathum Nissanka’s hands, aware that the opportunity he has waited more than two years for could be slipping away.
Lawrence had taken 11 balls to get off the mark and his lack of fluency was exposed by Duckett’s breezy 51 not out, coming off just 48 deliveries. Duckett was particularly dismissive of Milan Rathnayake, repeatedly swatting him over the arc between mid-off and extra-cover as a three-over burst cost 25.
Pope put Sri Lanka on notice early, stepping back to launch Kumara for six over deep square moments before the drinks break. A capacity crowd was frustrated to see the players ushered off at 76 for one, with conservatism over bad light once again causing discontent.
When play belatedly resumed at 3.10pm, England attempted to make up for lost time with a frenzied burst of attack. Duckett twice took a step outside off stump to scoop Kumara, mis-hitting the first for four and nailing the second attempt all the way for six.
When Sri Lanka went short he deflected an uppercut over the deep third boundary but the risks were mounting up. He paid the price with a hundred for the taking, once again going to the scoop and this time lobbing Rathnayake straight to wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal. The bowler, chastened by a tough day, could barely summon a celebration.
Duckett’s departure did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm, Pope top-edging the very next ball for six and Joe Root getting off the mark with a uppish flick that had leg-gully interested.
Sri Lanka ushered Pope past fifty with a ragged misfield in the deep and the runs kept flowing as he steered Angelo Mathews straight into the gap between slip and gully.
Root surprisingly lacked rhythm following his twin centuries at Lord’s last week and departed for 13, slog-sweeping Kumara straight to the boundary fielder.
