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The third Test between England and Sri Lanka at the Kia Oval reached absurd new heights on the second afternoon when Chris Woakes was forced to bowl spin midway through an over because the on-field umpires were worried about the worsening conditions. This came after an opening day marked by a protracted delay due to bad light.
Just moments after losing their opening wicket to Olly Stone’s direct drive from the covers that dismissed Dimuth Karunaratne for nine, the incident happened two balls into the seventh over of Sri Lanka’s innings.
Despite the fact that Woakes has averaged a speed of about 80 mph in this Test match, Joel Wilson and Chris Gaffaney declared it too dark for fast bowling when Kusal Mendis entered the field at number three to face his first delivery.
There was a chorus of jeers from the packed Oval crowd and puzzlement in the commentary box over the decision. After Woakes’ first-ball long-hop, which Mendis took to deep midwicket for a single, Michael Atherton said on Sky Sports that “the game’s gone mad” and that “oh, that’s filth” when Woakes’ following delivery pitched three feet outside off stump.
Raising his eyebrows in amusement, Joe Root responded, while Ben Stokes, standing on the England balcony, expressed his incredulity before heading inside the dressing room.
Pathum Nissanka then dragged a third-ball long-hop for four, so England lost six runs from four balls during the interval. A few moments later, the cloud cover lifted, adding to the farce, and England’s fastest bowler, Gus Atkinson, was allowed to continue after another light-meter reading.
Ollie Pope, England’s acting captain, had to decide how his team would react to the umpires’ concerns for the third time in as many Test matches.
He had opted to stay at Old Trafford in the dark, bowling 12 straight overs of spin that may have helped Sri Lanka rally from a low point of 113 for 7 to 236. However, at Lord’s, he decided to send his team out early rather than accept the chance of wasting the new ball, a move that drew harsh criticism from Eoin Morgan, the former white-ball captain of England.
According to Law 2.7.1, which pertains to bad light and other weather-related issues, “it is solely for the umpires together to decide whether either conditions of ground, weather or light or exceptional circumstances mean that it would be dangerous or unreasonable for play to take place”.
However, the law subsequently adds: “Conditions shall not be regarded as either dangerous or unreasonable merely because they are not ideal.”