The Oval is Ollie Pope’s happy place, however, where everything is familiar and comfortable and his first-class numbers are celestial. And as he slotted Asitha Fernando through the covers moments before the early finish, England’s stand-in skipper had Test century number seven. Remarkably, he is the first player in history to get their first seven against different opposition.
Preamble
Morning. On the first day of the 1989 Ashes, Australia were put into bat and finished on 207 for 3. It was a similar story yesterday: England, inserted by Sri Lanka, reached 221 for 3 at the close. There was only one minor difference: Australia batted for 81 overs, England for 44.1 overs. Truly, the game has changed, and even half a day’s play was sufficient for England to take control of the match.
Ollie Pope made a breezy, charming hundred, the first by a stand-in England captain since 2010, but the catalyst was the remarkable Ben Duckett. He missed with Sri Lanka’s heads and then their line during a defiantly unconventional innings of 86 from 79 balls. Sri Lanka, who won what looked an extremely important toss, were on the back foot within five overs.
The weather forecast is better today, so batting should be slightly more comfortable. Pope will resume on 103, with Harry Brook on 8 at the other end. Three of Pope’s last four centuries have exceeded 140; if he gets through the first 20 balls, he has a great chance to go big again.
Questions are being asked about why Sam Konstas was sent home from Sri Lanka and didn't play in the ODI series, with many calling for him to be parachuted into
New Zealand secured a five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the tri-nation series final with Will O'Rourke taking four wickets while Daryl Mitchell and Tom Lat
NEW DELHI: The ICC Champions Trophy is set to begin in Pakistan on February 19, marking its return after an eight-year gap. The marquee tournament will featur
Brian Bennett's superb 169 helped Zimbabwe earn a 49-run win over Ireland in the opening one-day international in Harare.The 21-year-old became the fourth young