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The opening day of the third and final Test match between England and Sri Lanka at The Kia Oval saw Ben Duckett’s half-century put the country in a commanding position at lunchtime.
Sent in to bat on time due to heavy rain that had fallen in the area earlier in the morning, the hosts ended the first session, which was cut short by 40 minutes because of poor light, with 76 for 1, with Dan Lawrence taking the fall after a gruelling innings that produced just 5 runs off of 21 balls. Duckett was at 51 from 48 balls without a loss, and Ollie Pope was at 14 not out.
After the first three overs, neither side was able to capitalise on Duckett’s dangerous twin flashes at deliveries outside off stump from Asitha Fernando, nor on Lawrence’s attempt to drive off Vishwa Fernando, who pitched one on middle and off and beat the outside edge.
A clip off his toes through square leg off Vishwa was much more secure as he settled into his task and Lawrence remained unscored after facing 10 balls in five overs. Duckett was able to put a fortunate inside edge onto an Asitha delivery in the channel through to the fine leg boundary.
After thirty minutes and with the threat of rain having partly subsided, Lawrence eventually hit the target when he squared leg off first-change bowler Lahiru Kumara and sprinted two to satirical applause from the audience, which was around three-quarters full in the Oval bleachers.
After moving down the pitch to hit back-to-back fours over extra cover with Milan Rathnayake, Duckett picked up the pace.
Even before his clumsy pull shot off Kumara, which flew into the air off a top edge, had dropped into the hands of Pathum Nissanka at the gully, Lawrence dropped his head and spun on his heel towards the changing room.
Pope got things started almost immediately, back-cutting a short, wide delivery from Rathnayake for four, and then punishing a short ball from Kumara for six over deep backward square.
Duckett then reached 48 by hitting two off-side fours in three Rathnayake deliveries. He then reached his fifty by sprinting three and smashing Vishwa into the covers. That was right before play was stopped due to poor light and the lightest drizzle that was still in the air; the surroundings didn’t seem to have changed much from when play began. However, the sky became noticeably darker as the players were off the pitch, so lunch was eaten early—at 12:40 p.m.