England captain Ollie Pope delivered a witty response to the umpires after being told that only spin was allowed due to fading light near Stumps on Day 2 of the fifth Test against India at The Oval. In a viral video, Pope humorously claimed he had no spinners in his team when asked to switch from pace.
Earlier, rain delayed play for about 45 minutes. Once resumed, only spin was permitted in the closing moments due to poor light conditions. England also missed three catching opportunities, possibly due to difficulty in spotting the ball. Umpire Kumar Dharmasena was seen informing Pope about the light restrictions.
“You’ll bowl spin. Otherwise, we’ll go out.”
“Spin?”
In response, the Surrey batter stated:
“Don’t have a spinner. No, I’m joking.”
“Fast bowling? Ya. No spin.”
All that happened in the lead-up to stumps… 🗣 #SonySportsNetwork #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia #ExtraaaInnings pic.twitter.com/rfbwSORq6g
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) August 1, 2025
After checking the light using a meter, the umpires decided to end play for the day. Despite England fielding four main pacers, they also had spin-bowling all-rounder Jacob Bethell available. However, the seam-friendly conditions at The Oval saw Bethell bowl just two overs in the first innings.
Ollie Pope And Team Have A Tough Challenge On Day 3 At The Oval
With Ben Stokes out due to injury, Ollie Pope has taken over as England’s captain and will need to lead strongly on Day 3 to put his team in control in this crucial Test. Although India have just a 52-run lead, they have Yashasvi Jaiswal well set at the crease on 51*.
England had earlier removed KL Rahul and B Sai Sudharsan for just 7 runs each after securing a 23-run first-innings lead. Zak Crawley and Harry Brook scored fifties, making 64 and 53 respectively, to help build that small advantage. England currently lead the series 2-1.
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