England‘s temporary captain Ollie Pope made a strong return to form with a quick century on Day 1 of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval on Friday. The Surrey batsman reached his milestone with a boundary to become the first player to score his initial seven centuries against seven different opponents.
In 2020, Pope hit his first century against South Africa, and also had centuries in 2022 against New Zealand and Pakistan, 2023 against Ireland, 2024 against India and West Indies, and 2024 against Sri Lanka. The last Friday’s century was made in the 44th over by driving a delivery from Asitha Fernando towards point and taking off his helmet as a sign of victory.
You can watch the video here:
The moment Ollie Pope went to his SEVENTH Test match hundred 💯 pic.twitter.com/uG9nE9enq6
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 6, 2024
He was under pressure coming into the Test as he had scored 6, 6, 1 and 17 at Old Trafford and Lord’s against Sri Lanka. Since he was a captain, he needed a big score to redeem himself.
England lost Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett, and Joe Root before Ollie Pope scored his century
The tossing was won by Dhananjaya de Silva, captain of Sri Lanka and he chose to field first as per tradition which is usually followed in such weather. The start made by England looked good until Dan Lawrence was dismissed for just five runs. At one point Ben Duckett was approaching his first hundred, but had to settle for 86 instead.
Joe Root, the leading run-scorer of the series from either team, was the next to be dismissed, scoring just 13. Play was halted for over an hour due to poor light and rain. The second interruption came shortly after Pope reached his century, and eventually, the day’s play was ended.
As Day 2 kicks off, the home side would be making a come back with Harry Brook batting alongside his captain at 221-3. The series is already a done deal for England as they lead 2-0 and want nothing less than a clean sweep.
“Ollie Pope Makes History: First Batter in 147 Years of International Cricket to Achieve…”
England’s stand-in captain, Ollie Pope, achieved a historic milestone in Test cricket on Friday. In his 49th Test match, Pope became the first cricketer to score his first seven Test centuries against different teams.
Pope’s unbeaten 103 off 103 balls on the opening day of the third Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval not only propelled England to 221/3 but also secured his place in the record books. This century was especially significant as it marked his return to form after struggling recently.
Prior to this innings, Pope had managed only 30 runs in four innings since taking over as captain for the injured Ben Stokes. Friday’s century was Pope’s first as England captain, his 12th first-class hundred, and his seventh Test century, highlighting his impressive achievement against a variety of opponents.
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