England vs Sri Lanka, 3rd Test Day 1 Highlights: Scorecard, Commentary and Updates from Kenningon Oval, London

Right then, that’s a wrap from Day 1 of this final Test match. Coming to Day 2, England, buoyed by their performance, will be eager to capitalize on their momentum and extend their advantage. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka faces the challenge of regrouping overnight, aiming to return with renewed determination. The action will resume for Day 2 on Saturday, September 7th, with the first ball scheduled for 10 am GMT. Until then, cheers!

Cut to the final session, the situation remained identically struggling for the Sri Lankans. Pope, well settled, mounted a brisk hundred and looked totally unfettered. But, the light conditions didn’t permit the play to continue any further. It was a start-stop kind of a day at The Oval and was dwarfed with only 44.1 overs bowled. So, whom does the first day belong to? Any guesses? Do we need to tell? Jokes apart, England has asserted its dominance well and truly and has left Sri Lanka to search for solutions to their nonetheless lackadaisical bowling display.

But the play was interrupted as rain and bad light played a spoilsport. After a delay of nearly two hours, play finally resumed, though the first session was abbreviated. Pope and Duckett navigated the testing conditions unbothered, accumulating runs by playing on the merit, maintaining a steady run rate of around 5 runs per over, courtesy of strictly average and wayward bowling. Fell to his own aggression, Ben Duckett, yet again missed his well-deserved century, but again, the Lankan bowlers couldn’t take much advantage to create pressure. They allowed yet another partnership to flourish. The Pope-Root alliance added 51 together before Root’s departure right on the cusp of Tea. Lahiru Kumara, though expensive, managed to snag two scalps to his name.

Despite conditions that should have favoured seam bowling due to the dampness around, Sri Lanka’s pace attack looked surprisingly defensive. They struggled to find their rhythm, rarely troubling the batters with challenging lines and lengths. Nonetheless, Lahiru Kumar managed to break through, claiming the first wicket for Sri Lanka midway through the opening session. Typically, overcast skies and residual moisture on the pitch create challenging conditions for batters, offering bowlers enhanced movement and unpredictable bounce. However, despite these favourable circumstances, Sri Lanka’s bowlers struggled and wickets remained significantly out of reach.

The rain-interrupted Day 1 draws to an unfortunate close. The day began under muggy, overcast skies, conditions that persisted throughout. Sri Lanka won the toss and inserted the hosts to bat first. England’s openers set a steady pace in the first hour, with Duckett displaying notable comfort at the crease. In contrast, Lawrence struggled, and his vulnerability outside off-stump was exposed, and he failed to reach double digits. True to their ‘Bazball’ brand of cricket, England maintained a brisk scoring rate as they kept the scoreboard ticking. Pope joined Duckett in dominating the latter part of the first session, tilting the balance in England’s favour from the very first session.

UPDATE – 5.32 pm GMT – And, the inevitable has happened, folks! Considering the deteriorating light conditions at The Oval, Stumps have been officially called for Day 1. Not a pleasing news by any means, but it is mandatory to follow the rule books of the sport.

UPDATE – 5.11 pm GMT –

Halt! Uh, oh! It was inevitable, wasn’t it? The umpire Chris Gaffaney takes the light meter out and after examining the readings, he requests the players to walk off the field.

44.1 – No run.

43.6 – No run.

43.5 – FOUR! HUNDRED FOR POPE! 7th Test century for him and his first at the Oval!

43.4 – 2 runs.

43.3 – No run.

43.2 – Full and outside off, Ollie Pope reaches out for it but mistimes his drive towards short covers.

43.1 – Back of a length and outside off, Harry Brook cuts it away towards deep point for a single. Pope’s back on strike now in his nervous 90s!

42.6 – No run.

42.5 – No run.

42.4 – Oh…close!

Halt! That must have stung Pope really hard on the elbow. He gets struck there for the third time, in fact. He gets some medical attention as the physio rushes in to check him up.

42.3 – No run.

42.2 – FOUR! The skipper is in hurry now to get to the milestone!

42.1 – Fuller and around off, Harry Brook opens the face of his bat and drives it through cover-point for a single.

41.6 – FOUR! Gets it away now! Back of a length and on middle, does not bounce that much, Ollie Pope gets a bit stuck in his crease but still manages to swipe it away, it races through the practice pitches and to the deep mid-wicket fence for a boundary. Pope moves into the 90s now!

Batsman_1 : Ollie Pope 93(93)

Batsman_2 : Harry Brook 6(11)

Bowler : Asitha Fernando 0/51(13)

Over : 42

Run : 9

Wicket : 0

Score : 209/3

41.5 – No run.

41.4 – BEATEN! Asitha Fernando bowls this on a good length and in that channel outside off, shaping away, Ollie Pope tries to have a nibble at it but gets beaten on the outside edge.

41.3 – Back of a length and around off, Harry Brook dabs it wide of point for a single.

40.5 – Overpitched and just outside off, Ollie Pope drills it out straight to short covers.

41.2 – No run.

41.1 – FOUR! Harry Brook joins the party now but in streaky fashion!

Asitha Fernando (12-0-42-0) to share the attack from the other end.

40.6 – Goes full again, on off, angling in, Ollie Pope taps it out towards short covers. 6 runs off the over then!

Batsman_1 : Ollie Pope 89(90)

Batsman_2 : Harry Brook 1(8)

Bowler : Lahiru Kumara 2/76(11)

Over : 41

Run : 6

Wicket : 0

Score : 200/3

40.4 – 1 run.

40.3 – 1 run.

40.2 – FOUR! Just over! Hard length and around off too, Ollie Pope waits for it, uses the pace and steers it away, it goes aerially and just over the grap of gully for a boundary. England gets going again!

40.1 – Lahiru Kumara starts with a back-of-a-length delivery, on of, Ollie Pope looks to punch it away but bunts it down on the ground.

… DAY 1, SESSION 3 …

We are back for the final session of the first day. The two umpires Joel Wilson and Chris Gaffaney walk out to the middle. The Sri Lankan players walk down the stairs to take their fielding positions. Ollie Pope, eyeing for his 7th Test hundred, along with Harry Brook to resume their innings with the bat.

After the rain, the ball swung much more than the prior session but the bowlers failed to put much pressure on the batters. After the loss of their second wicket, Pope and Joe Root handled the situation a bit passively, but they made sure to keep the scoreboard ticking. The local boy, Pope also accomplished his 14th half-century in the Test cricket format. Everything was going well for the Three Lions, but the compilation of the change of bringing Lahiru Kumara back into the attack in 39th over and his short ball tactic helped Sri Lanka to get another important wicket in the shape of Joe Root. Harry Brook crumbled a bit to get off the mark but let’s see how the strategies of both end shape up after the Tea Break. Another thrilling session of play is undoubtedly on the horizon. Stick around as the action resumes at 4.30 pm GMT!

TEA, DAY 1 – Session Summary – The clash resumed late after the Lunch break, because of some slight drizzle. The groundsmen have done a fabulous job of draining the logged water pretty quickly. Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope started their strands where they have ended. Well, the runs were coming thick, and especially Duckett went hard on the Lankan pacers, caressed some scoops and cuts to keep the English fans entertained. However, Milan Rathnayake found his way of hutting the monstrous Duckett out when he moved to 86. They were also just five runs away to make a hundred-run partnership.

39.4 – On a length and on middle, Harry Brook nudges it towards mid-wicket.