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... SECOND INNINGS ...

England, on the other hand, will be a bit disappointed as they would have hoped for something near or over 400 after the start that they got. However, we have seen them collapse like this earlier in the summer as well. Ollie Pope was the mainstay for the hosts who notched up his 7th hundred in Tests.

Sri Lanka wraps England up for 325 here! They have been pretty much on the money from the start of Day 2 and kept the pressure on the batters. After a forgettable Day 1 where they conceded 221 runs in just 45 overs of play, this has been a remarkable turnaround for them. The pacers did the job excellently here with Milan Rathnayake sitting on top with three wickets while Vishwa Fernando and Lahiru Kumara chipped in with a couple of wickets each. 

Milan Rathnayake to Shoaib Bashir, ! IN THE AIR AND TAKEN! A momentous collapse for England and Sri Lanka have managed to sneak back in the contest after a dismal outing on the first day. Milan Rathnayake bowls it on the back of a length, around off, it springs off the deck a bit and comes high on the batter. Shoaib Bashir clears his front leg and tries to play a wild heave across the line, but as the ball gets heavier on him, he ends up slicing it off the high end of the bat. The bal

Asitha Fernando to Olly Stone, Asitha follows the batter as Stone shuffles outside leg, pitches it outside leg and on the hard length, Olly Stone is cramped up for room and just about manages to tap it to the leg side.

Asitha Fernando to Olly Stone, Six!

Asitha Fernando to Shoaib Bashir, 1 run.

Asitha Fernando to Shoaib Bashir, No run.

Shoaib Bashir is the last man in. This may be the last over before Lunch, but if a wicket does not fall here, the umpires will surely extend this session.

Asitha Fernando to Josh Hull, ! c Dhananjaya de Silva b Asitha Fernando.

Asitha Fernando to Olly Stone, Length ball, outside off, Olly Stone responds with a crisp back foot square cut towards deep point. Jogs for a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, Short and wide of off, Josh Hull swings and misses.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, At off, on a nagging length, Josh Hull swats it away to the mid off region. The fielder at the mentioned position dives to his left and intercepts the ball. 

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, Back of a length, and outside off, Josh Hull eases it to the off side.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, 2 runs.

Vishwa Fernando to Olly Stone, At the pads on a good length, Olly Stone glances it to wide square leg for a quick single.

Vishwa Fernando to Olly Stone, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, 1 run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, 2 runs.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, ! Gets off the mark in style does Olly Stone! Too full and there to be hit, on the middle, Olly Stone strides out for a sweep, gets on his knee and sweeps it nicely along the ground, past square leg for a boundary.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, Pushed through, floated full on the stumps, Olly Stone defends it with a good forward stride.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, Back of a length and wide outside off. Hull lets it be.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, No run.

Josh Hull, the debutant comes out to the middle now.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! IN THE AIR AND TAKEN AGAIN! This time, it's the English skipper, Ollie Pope who tried to take the aggressive route but holes out. Sri Lanka, right back in the game now.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, No run.

Olly Stone is the next man in.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, ! IN THE AIR AND TAKEN! Sri Lankan skipper, DDS strikes now and England have now lost three quick wickets with the tail exposed.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, Full on the middle stump, Ollie Pope drives it to the wide of mid off, and takes a single.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, Short of a length on the pads, this tucked in the square leg region for a single.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, There comes the reverse sweep! Full and on off, Gus Atkinson reverse sweeps off the leading edge. The ball lands behind short third and they cross for the double.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, Tossed up, pushed through on leg, Gus Atkinson tries to push it to the leg side but wears it on the pads.

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, Too full and outside off, Gus Atkinson attempts the expansive cover drive by extending his arms. Finds Angelo Mathews at cover who parries the ball to the deep and allows a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, Beauty! That in-between length, around off, deviating fractionally away from the batter. Gus Atkinson is squared up and gets beaten on the outside edge.

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, Peach!

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, On the leg stump line, at the pads, Gus Atkinson blocks it off the back foot.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Across off on a length, Ollie Pope slashes it away to deep point for a single.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Gus Atkinson, the centurion from the previous Test walks out to bat now.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, 1 run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Chris Woakes, ! c Milan Rathnayake b Dhananjaya de Silva.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Chris Woakes, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Hard-length delivery on off, shaping it away. Ollie Pope goes for the cut but gets beaten on the outer edge. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Chris Woakes, On a length on leg and middle. Chris Woakes rocks back and hops a bit to tuck it towards right of the short mid-wicket fielder for a single. 

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, Fullish, and just outside off. Ollie Pope punches it toward wide of long off and gets a couple of runs. 

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Chris Woakes, 1 run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Chris Woakes comes out to the middle now. We will see some spin now as skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva brings himself into the attack.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, ! c Kusal Mendis b Vishwa Fernando.

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Pitched up, on off. Jamie Smith drives it towards the cover region. 

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Play and a miss! 

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Pitched up, on off, shaping away. Jamie Smith lunges and slightly opens the face of the bat while performing the drive to guide the ball towards deep cover-point. A couple of runs. taken in between. 

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Vishwa Fernando, the southpaw of Sri Lanka, comes from 'over the wicket and bowls fuller on middle and off. Jamie Smith prods and defends it towards the cover region. 

Drinks! Well, fair to say, the Sri Lankans have come out much improved as compared to the first day. But, luck hasn't quite been with them. They have done everything right, by bowling fuller and allowing the ball to curve and deviate. A lot of inside edges and close calls prove that the English batters tried to unsettle the bowlers and negate the swing. Harry Brook looked uncomfortable and tried to go aggressive and lost his wicket.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, ! EDGED, GAP AND FOUR! 

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Swinging down the leg side, on the back of a length, Ollie Pope goes for a leg glance but misses. The ball brushes off the thigh pad and carries to the keeper.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Four!

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Leg bye.

Vishwa Fernando (7-0-29-0) has been brought into the attack from the Vauxhall end. He replaces Milan Rathnayake.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and around off, Ollie Pope stabs it down on the ground, point dives to his left but fails to stop it and the batters get a double.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Length again, on middle, straightens a bit, Ollie Pope looks to work it away but gets a bit squared up as it pops up off the leading edge and lands well before covers.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Good length and on off, Jamie Smith steers it through point for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, ! Fortuitous!

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and on middle, Ollie Pope keeps it out to the leg side.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Full again and around off now, Ollie Pope steers it away towards gully.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, EDGED AND ! Milan Rathnayake lands this back of a length and just outside off, Ollie Pope tries to cut it away, but gets an outside edge, and can you guess where this one goes? Yes, exactly between that gap between the wide first slip and gully for a boundary.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, A bit fuller this time, on middle, Ollie Pope watches it through and blocks it out on te pitch.

Milan Rathnayake to Jamie Smith, On a length and around off, Jamie Smith guides it towards deep point for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Back of a length and angling into the body of the batter, Jamie Smith pulls it away towards fine leg for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Good stop! Overpitched and on off, Jamie Smith drives it away firmly wide of mid off, DDS dives to his right and makes a fine one-handed stop.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Short of a length and on off, angles in, Jamie Smith stays back and blocks it out.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, On a length and on off, Jamie Smith taps it out toward short covers. Lahiru Kumara is consistently blowing on good lines now.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, BEATEN! Lahiru Kumara serves this full and around off, nips away slightly, but it is enough to beat the outside edge of Smith who goes for the big drive.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Lahiru Kumara bowls this on a good length and on off, Jamie Smith pats it away on the back foot as it rolls towards mid off.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Hard length and outside off, Jamie Smith opens the bat face and steers it through point for a run and gets off the mark.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Back of a length and on off, Jamie Smith hops up a bit and keeps it out to the off side.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Pitched up and on the sixth stump line, Jamie Smith strides out and pushes it towards short covers.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Pulls his length back a bit, on off, Jamie Smith stays back and blocks it out.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Full again and on off, shapes away a touch, Jamie Smith tries to play it but gets an outside edge along the ground towards gully.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Fuller and angling into the pads, Ollie Pope flicks it through square leg for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Jamie Smith, No run.

Jamie Smith walks in at number 6 for England. Joins his fellow Surrey man and his skipper, Pope.

Milan Rathnayake to Jamie Smith, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, ! BRILLIANTLY TAKEN! Milan Rathnayake gets another important breakthrough for Sri Lanka.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Goes fuller now, on middle and off, Harry Brook steers it towards gully.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Sign of aggression again! Back of a length and outside off, shapes away, Harry Brook charges down the track and throws his bat at it, but fails to connect.

Not really sure, but Dhananjaya de Silva is having a word with the on-field umpire.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Milan Rathnayake hits the length hard and around off, nips away a bit, Harry Brook plays well inside the line of it and the ball goes through to the keeper.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Overpitched and just outside off, Ollie Pope reaches out for it and drills it away, the fielder at short covers gets a hand to it to reduce the momentum. A half-stop you can say. The batters crosses for a double.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! Goes through that gap again! Sri Lanka needs to rethink their slip positions.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, That's a peach of a delivery!

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, An appeal for LBW but 'No' says the umpire, Joel Wilson!

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Fuller and with a bit of a movement at off, Ollie Pope responds with a solid front foot defence.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Gentle outswing outside off, Harry Brook eases it off the thickish outside edge to th second slip.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Hard length again, outside off, Pope punches it to cover-point.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Shade full and around off, Ollie Pope plants his front leg ahead and drives it straight to cover.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Four!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Outside off, length, Harry Brook looks to cut it away but is a bit too early on the shot, and almost chops it on getting a thick inside edge. Kicks the ball to the cover region in the end.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Rathnayake brings the angle much closer this time around as he sees Pope charging down again. Ollie Pope manages to clip it across along the ground to deep mid-wicket for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, On the back of a length, outside off, Ollie Pope slashes it hard but finds the fielder at cover.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, ! Oh, what a shot that is! Milan Rathnayake goes full and on the off stump line, with a gentle outward deviation, Ollie Pope gets his dancing shoes on and skips down the track, and whips it across the line through the mid-wicket region for a cracking boundary.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Good length shaping away from outside off, left alone.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 'Two, two. two' is the call and they will get it! Excellent running between the wickets by the two! Back of a length, on the stumps, Ollie Pope walks across a couple of steps to the off stump and nudges it with soft hands towards deep mid-wicket for a couple of runs. 

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Over the top of the middle, on the length, Harry Brook gets behind the line and punches it to wide mid on for a quick single.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Holds on the off stump channel does Asitha Fernando, pulls his length fractionally and it skids quickly off the pitch. Harry Brook dead bats at it and lets it pass.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Length ball, outside off, Pope drives it towards deep cover for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, EDGED AND ! 

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, ! Dear, oh dear! Asitha Fernando has put down an absolute sitter! Just about sums up Sri Lanka's condition in this series. That should have been taken!

A quick change for Sri Lanka as Milan Rathnayake joins the attack. 

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Outswing, on a length, outside off, Ollie Pope slashes it with an upright stance through cover-point for an easy couple of runs. Lahiru Kumara does well to do the mop up work running and sliding to his right from deep point. Saves two for his side.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, On a fuller length and away from the off stump. Pope is invited to drive, and he looks to play without footwork and is well beaten on the outside edge.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Over the top of the off peg, on the length, Harry Brook walks down to the track and guides it behind the square towards deep point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Some movement again! Outside off on the back of a length, it deviates further away from the batter and Brook leaves.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Asitha gets a genuine outswing from outside off on a fuller length, Harry Brook plants his front foot but decides to not have a go at it.

Asitha Fernando will be bowling from the other end. 

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! The umpire raises his finger but Harry Brook thinks otherwise and goes upstairs straightaway!

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, First runs of Day 2 for England! Back of a length to follow again, around off, Harry Brook punches it with soft hands towards deep backward point for a couple of runs.

In all readiness for the action on Day 2 to begin! The two umpires stride out to the middle, followed by the Lankans as they take their positions. Harry Brook and Ollie Pope are on their way to the crease to resume their innings for England. Lahiru Kumara will get the job to start the proceeding for Sri Lanka. Let's play...

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, Kumara starts from over the stumps, and lands it on the money, around off and nipping back into the batter. Harry Brook hops on the back foot to punch it to the off side and gets a thick leading edge towards wide gully where Pathum Nissanka dives to his right and intercepts the ball.

JUST IN - England fans have received disappointing news as fast bowler Mark Wood will be missing the rest of 2024. Medical scans revealed he has a bone stress injury in his right elbow, which he noticed was getting stiffer and more uncomfortable during the Test series against the West Indies earlier this summer. He also had an injury on his right thigh in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford, which is being monitored and managed. As a result, he will miss England's upcoming Test to

On the other hand, Sri Lanka has gone all out with a pace-heavy attack, fielding four main seamers. They have only Kamindu Mendis and captain DDS to offer spin options. However, the big question is whether the spinners can create breakthroughs once the ball gets older, or if the short-ball strategy will be enough to challenge England’s lineup. Despite the bowlers getting significant swing on this pitch, they have struggled to contain England’s batters so far. The Lankans will need to rethink

England is in a comfortable position, thanks to strong performances from their top-order batsmen. For the first time in this series, the top order has managed to provide a solid start, despite the bowler-friendly conditions. Ben Duckett was in sensational form, scoring a quickfire 86 off 79 balls, playing aggressively and putting pressure back on Sri Lanka’s bowlers. Local favorite Ollie Pope, who had struggled in the previous games, is still unbeaten and has already reached his century—a mu

Hello and a very warm welcome to all our viewers joining us for the buildup to Day 2 of this third and final Test match between England and Sri Lanka at The Oval, London. Unfortunately, Day 1 saw limited action due to bad light and some light drizzle. Today, the weather looks cloudy with a slight chance of rain, but we’re hoping for a full day of cricket. 

... DAY 2, SESSION 1 ...

Right then, that’s a wrap from Day 1 of this final Test match. Coming to Day 2, England, buoyed by their performance, will be eager to capitalize on their momentum and extend their score further. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka faces the challenge of regrouping overnight, aiming to return with renewed determination. The action will resume for Day 2 on Saturday, September 7th, with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 10 am GMT. Until then, cheers!

Cut to the final session, the situation remained identically struggling for the Sri Lankans. Pope, well settled, mounted a brisk hundred and looked totally unfettered. But, the light conditions didn't permit the play to continue any further. It was a start-stop kind of a day at The Oval and was dwarfed with only 44.1 overs bowled. So, whom does the first day belong to? Any guesses? Do we need to tell? Jokes apart, England has asserted its dominance well and truly and has left Sri Lanka to searc

But the play was interrupted as rain and bad light played a spoilsport. After a delay of nearly two hours, play finally resumed, though the first session was abbreviated. Pope and Duckett navigated the testing conditions unbothered, accumulating runs by playing on the merit, maintaining a steady run rate of around 5 runs per over, courtesy of strictly average and wayward bowling. Fell to his own aggression, Ben Duckett, yet again missed his well-deserved century, but again, the Lankan bowlers c

Despite conditions that should have favoured seam bowling due to the dampness around, Sri Lanka's pace attack looked surprisingly defensive. They struggled to find their rhythm, rarely troubling the batters with challenging lines and lengths. Nonetheless, Lahiru Kumar managed to break through, claiming the first wicket for Sri Lanka midway through the opening session. Typically, overcast skies and residual moisture on the pitch create challenging conditions for batters, offering bowlers enhan

The rain-interrupted Day 1 draws to an unfortunate close. The day began under muggy, overcast skies, conditions that persisted throughout. Sri Lanka won the toss and inserted the hosts to bat first. England's openers set a steady pace in the first hour, with Duckett displaying notable comfort at the crease. In contrast, Lawrence struggled, and his vulnerability outside off-stump was exposed, and he failed to reach double digits. True to their 'Bazball' brand of cricket, England maintained a br

UPDATE - 5.32 pm GMT - And, the inevitable has happened, folks! Considering the deteriorating light conditions at The Oval, Stumps have been officially called for Day 1. Not a pleasing news by any means, but it is mandatory to follow the rule books of the sport. 

UPDATE - 5.11 pm GMT - The conditions don't look quite promising at The Oval. It is heavily overcast, which has persistently been the case for the whole day so far. On the other hand, Australia, the probable favourites in the series, convincingly defeated Scotland in the second T20I at Edinburgh, and clinched the 3-match T20I series, leading by 2-0 now. Australia first notched up a whopping 196, which included a blistering century from Josh Inglis off just 49 deliveries. And while defending th

UPDATE - 4.49 pm GMT - Uh, oh! It was inevitable, wasn't it? It has gotten a bit darker with all the floodlights glittering now. The umpire Chris Gaffaney takes the light meter out and after examining the readings, he requests the players to walk off the field and the crowd does not really like it as the park echoes with their boos. Fair to say, not an ideal condition to continue. Well, Sri Lanka would not be too displeased with this as they really need to regroup and restructure their stra

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, False stroke!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! HUNDRED FOR POPE! 7th Test century for him and his first at the Oval!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Pitched up and outside off again, Ollie Pope once again reaches out for it and this time drills it through the gap at covers for a couple of runs. Pope is on 99 now!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, He is not able to get away here! Good length and on off, shapes in, Ollie Pope moves across to flick it away but misses and gets hit on the pads. 

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Full and outside off, Ollie Pope reaches out for it but mistimes his drive towards short covers.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Back of a length and outside off, Harry Brook cuts it away towards deep point for a single. Pope's back on strike now in his nervous 90s!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Length again, on middle, Ollie Pope clips it away towards short mid-wicket. He will have to wait a bit more.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Halt! That must have stung Pope really hard on the elbow.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! The skipper is in hurry now to get to the milestone!

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, Fuller and around off, Harry Brook opens the face of his bat and drives it through cover-point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! Gets it away now! Back of a length and on middle, does not bounce that much, Ollie Pope gets a bit stuck in his crease but still manages to swipe it away, it races through the practice pitches and to the deep mid-wicket fence for a boundary. Pope moves into the 90s now!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Massive appeal for caught behind, but turned down! The keeper convinces his skipper, DDS to take the review.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, BEATEN!

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Back of a length and around off, Harry Brook dabs it wide of point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, ! Harry Brook joins the party now but in streaky fashion! Asitha Fernando begins with a good-length delivery, on off, Harry Brook uses his feet to push it away but gets an outside edge that goes between the second slip and gully for a boundary. A third slip and it would have gone straight into the hands.

Asitha Fernando to share the attack from the other end.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Goes full again, on off, angling in, Ollie Pope taps it out towards short covers. 6 runs off the over then!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Overpitched and just outside off, Ollie Pope drills it out straight to short covers.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and outside off, Ollie Pope cuts it away towards deep point for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! Just over!

We are back for the final session of the first day. The two umpires Joel Wilson and Chris Gaffaney walk out to the middle. The Sri Lankan players walk down the stairs to take their fielding positions. Ollie Pope, eyeing for his 7th Test hundred, along with Harry Brook to resume their innings with the bat. The floodlights are illuminating and it remains to be overcast out there. Lahiru Kumara to continue after the break. And, here we go...

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Lahiru Kumara starts with a back-of-a-length delivery, on of, Ollie Pope looks to punch it away but bunts it down on the ground.

... DAY 1, SESSION 3 ...

After the rain, the ball swung much more than the prior session but the bowlers failed to put much pressure on the batters. After the loss of their second wicket, Pope and Joe Root handled the situation a bit passively, but they made sure to keep the scoreboard ticking. The local boy, Pope also accomplished his 14th half-century in the Test cricket format. Everything was going well for the Three Lions, but the compilation of the change of bringing Lahiru Kumara back into the attack in the 39th o

TEA, DAY 1 - Session Summary - 25 overs, 118 runs, 2 wickets. England would be mighty pleased with the score they have managed to put on. The clash resumed late after the Lunch break, because of some slight drizzle. The groundsmen have done a fabulous job of draining the logged water pretty quickly. Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope started their strands from where they ended. Well, the runs were coming thick, and especially Duckett went hard on the Lankan pacers, and caressed some scoops and cuts to

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, A beauty to end the over and the session! Asitha Fernando lands this on a good length, just on off, nips away a shy bit, Harry Brook gets drawn forward as the ball zips past the outside edge. THAT WILL BE TEA ON DAY 2!

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Pitches it up a bit, on middle, Harry Brook fends it down the pitch.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, On a length and on middle, Harry Brook nudges it towards mid-wicket.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 3 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Full and on off, Ollie Pope prods out and blocks it out.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, No run.

Harry Brook walks in at number 5.

Lahiru Kumara to Joe Root, ! TAKEN! This is a massive wicket for Sri Lanka! Lahiru Kumara gets his second and gets the big fish as well. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Fuller and on off, Ollie Pope taps it just wide of point for a quick single.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Good length from 'over the wicket, on off, angles in, Ollie Pope stays back and blocks it out.

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, Overpitched and around off, Joe Root strides out and drives it nicely, but Kusal Mendis at cover-point dives to his right to save the boundary. Good fielding!

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, Fuller in length and on off, Joe Root strides out and blocks it out solidly.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and around off, Ollie Pope dabs it through point for a single. That also brings up the 50-run partnership between these two batters.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! 'Catch it is the call, but this one goes away! Asitha Fernando bangs this short but way outside off, Ollie Pope this time goes after it, does really well to reach for it and slices it away towards the deep point fence for a boundary.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Back of a length and outside off, shaping away, Ollie Pope thinks about slashing at it but decides against it in the end.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Hard length, on middle, angling in, Joe Root nudges it wide of deep square leg for a brace.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Pulls his length back now, on the sixth stump line, Joe Root stays back and guides it towards gully.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Fuller and on off, Joe Root drives it away straight towards short covers.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Good length and outside off, tempts the batter, but Joe Root moves a bit forward and leaves it alone.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and outside off, Ollie Pope cuts it away towards deep point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, Back of a length and around off, Joe Root guides it to point.

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, Goes fuller again, on off, Joe Root strides out and dabs it down towards gully.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, On a length and around off, Ollie Pope steers it wide of point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Very full again, on off, Joe Root plays the full-blooded drive but finds mid off.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, ! Deft touch!

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, ! Excellent shot! Angelo Mathews goes full and just around off, Ollie Pope leans on to his drive nicely, and with the full face of the bat creams it through covers for a boundary.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Back-to-back maidens from Milan Rathnayake! Short of a length and around off, Joe Root dabs it down towards point.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Sticks to his fuller length, on middle now and angles in, Joe Root steps across and knocks it towards mid on.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Overpitched and on off, Joe Root drills it hard down the pitch, but Milan Rathnayake does well to stop it on his follow-through.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Full again and on off, angles in this time, Joe Root stays back in his crease and blocks it out.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Good-length delivery around off, shaping away, Joe Root lets it go to the keeper.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, A bit of hesitation between the two batters but they cross over. Length-delivery around off, Joe Root taps it to the cover-point region and scampers to the other end for a single.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Attacks the stumps does Mathews and bowls it full and around off, Joe Root flicks it to mid on.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Angelo Mathews hurls it on the back of a length, and keeps the line outside off, Joe Root lets it go alone.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, Mathews starts off with a slip in place, bowls it on the back of a length, tailing away outside off, Ollie Pope punches it off the back foot through cover-point for an easy single.

.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, On the fifth stump line, on the length, Joe Root covers his defence and punches it off the back foot to the off side. This is the only second maiden over of the day so far.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Straight and full, aiming the off stump, Joe Root gets a good stride forward and respect the ball with a solid defence.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Closer to the off peg, on a length, Joe Root gets behind the line and defends it to the strip.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Gets that away shape does Milan Rathnayake, fuller and outside off, Joe Root watches the ball closely, prods ahead but leaves it alone.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Vishwa Fernando is struggling big time with his lengths here. Again, bowls it down the leg. Root lets it go.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Hurls it on the back of a length at the pads, Joe Root, with ease, glances it off the back foot to deep square leg for a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Wayward down leg, Joe Root lets it pass. 

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Shorter in length again but down leg, Root lets it go behind to the keeper.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Back of a length, outside off, Ollie Pope cuts it past backward point for a single.

.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, A questioning over from Rathnayake! Back to bowling on around off with a hint of an away movement on a good length. Joe Root has a feel for it and positions himself to attempt the square cut but it leaves the right hander with the angle and beats him up.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Couldn't hold onto that enticing line does Milan Rathnayake as he hurls it on the pads now. Joe Root misses to glance it away and gets rapped on the front thigh pad.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, And again! That inviting line on a length, with an away movement, Joe Root again pokes at it and gets beaten on the outside edge.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Woah! Beauty!

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Length-delivery, outside off, Ollie Pope cuts it behind square towards deep point for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, ! Width and Pope pounces on it gleefully! Milan Rathnayake pitches it well outside off, it nips away a shade after pitching, Ollie Pope with a steady head position, extends his levers and slashes it hard through covers for a boundary.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Wayward, and down leg, Ollie Pope wrists the glace towards deep backward square leg for an easy single.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Hits the nagging length, around middle, and angling on off, Joe Root rides on the bounce and guides it past point for a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Across off on a length, Joe Root goes back and attempts the square cut but ends up getting a thickish inside edge towards the second slip on one bounce.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Fractionally on a good length, around middle and leg, Joe Root walks across a couple of steps and tucks it along the ground with soft hands towards deep square leg for a couple of runs.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Good length a shade outside off, at 130 kph, Root covers the line with a front foot stride and defends it to covers.

Vishwa Fernando comes back into the attack now.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Much better this time from Rathnayake! Closer to the body, on middle and full in length, Ollie Pope replies with a confident front foot defence.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Again, Milan Rathnayake angles it on the middle and leg, on the back of a length, Ollie Pope reads it well, hops on the back foot and tucks it with softer hands to deep square leg for a couple of runs.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Full, but down the leg stump line, Joe Root tilts forward and flicks it to deep fine for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Drinks! Well, the Bazballers have maintained their tag wholeheartedly so far as they have hovered constantly around 5 runs per over. Ben Duckett though, fell for his own aggression and missed his century, yet again. But despite the wicket, Sri Lankan bowlers haven't been able to stem the flow of runs. 

Lahiru Kumara to Joe Root, Back of a length and on off, Joe Root stabs it in front of covers for one.

Lahiru Kumara to Joe Root, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Joe Root, ! Just wide!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, On a length and on middle, Ollie Pope works it away through backward square leg for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Four!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! Streaky and the bowler cannot believe it!

Joe Root walks in at number 4 for England.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, ! c Dinesh Chandimal b Milan Rathnayake.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Back of a length and on middle and off, Ben Duckett stays in his crease and pats it down the pitch.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Fuller once again, on the sixth stump line, Ollie Pope uses his feet this time and knocks it towards covers, he scampers across for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Change.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, A huge shot for LBW, but the umpire shakes his head! This one looks close and Dhananjaya de Silva goes for the review.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 2 runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, ! BOOM! The other way now!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Goes for it again, but misses!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Short of a length and around off, Ben Duckett pulls it away wide of deep mid-wicket for a brace. The runs are coming thick and fast now.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, ! Right from the middle this time!

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Hard length and around off again, Ben Duckett stays in his crease and muscles it away through covers, deep point runs to his right to collect it while the batters run three.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Digs it in the surface again, outside off, angles away, Ben Duckett initially winds up for the pull but withdraws from the shot in the end.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Back of a length and around off, Ben Duckett punches it towards short covers.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Full again and on middle, Ben Duckett drills it out towards mid off.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Full and around off, Ollie Pope pushes it towards short extra covers for a single, the fielder throws it at the bowler's end but misses. Pope wants the overthrow, but Duckett has gone a long way, so they settle for one.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Overpitched and on middle, Ollie Pope drills it down the pitch and wide of mid on for a run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! Fine shot!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, ! Not where he intended to play that, but gets the reward!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Back of a length and around off, Ben Duckett stays back and fends it away.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Fuller in length, angling on the pads, Ollie Pope flicks it with his wrists and along the ground toward deep backward square leg for a couple of runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Four!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, On a length just outside off. Ben Duckett rides the bounce and cuts it a bit late towards deep third man and gets a couple. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Good-length delivery on middle and leg. Ollie Pope clips it towards deep square leg and gets a comfortable single. 

Slight halt! Ollie Pope looks in a bit of pain here. He is not wearing any arm guard and the ball hits him hard on the left elbow. The physio is in to check on him. Pope is good to continue here.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Back of a length just outside off, shaping in. Ollie Pope rides the bounce and pushes it towards the cover region. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Good-length delivery on off, shaping in. Ollie Pope brings the full face of his willow to defend it down but gets nicked on the inner edge and the ball rolls towards deep fine leg for a single. 

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Full and just outside off, shaping it away from the stump. Ollie Pope shoulder arms the delivery. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, ! That one traveled like a bullet! Hard-length delivery, angling it away from the left-hander, away from the off stump. Ben Duckett frees his arms and punches it hard through the cover region for four more runs. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Length delivery on middle. Ollie Pope tucks it towards deep square leg for a single. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, 1 run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, 2 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Hard-length delivery outside off, around seventh stump. Ollie Pope cuts this one towards deep point and gets a comfortable single. 

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Four!

Vishwa Fernando to share the attack.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Good-length delivery on middle and off. Ben Duckett camps back and blocks it from the inner part of his willow towards the square leg region. 

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 3 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Asitha Fernando comes 'over the wicket and bowls on a good length on middle. Ben Duckett bunts it towards backward square leg region and gets a single. 

All set for the post-Lunch session to begin! The players are out in the field. Sri Lankan fielders take their respective fielding positions. Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope to resume their innings with the bat for England.

... DAY 1, SESSION 2 ...

UPDATE - 1.52 pm GMT - We will have an extra 30 minutes of play, which, of course, largely depends on the light conditions as the day progresses. Also, Tea will be taken at 4.10 pm GMT. And only if the conditions permit, the play can be stretched max up to 6.30 pm GMT. 

UPDATE - 1.41 pm GMT - Thank you for being so optimistic and patient, folks! It looks like the rain has stopped for now and the covers are coming off. The ground staff is working hard so that there's no more delay in the resumption. And more pleasing news, the play will resume at 2.10 pm GMT, which is about roughly 30 minutes or so from now. Let's hope that there are no further interruptions and we at least get some good action on Day 1.

UPDATE - 1.16 pm GMT - Well, we have nothing new to update as the situations persist to remain gloomy and rainy. On a brighter note, the second T20I between Scotland and Australia is finally getting underway as it got delayed due to foggy conditions in Edinburgh. Scotland won the toss and decided to field first! You can simply switch the tabs and follow that game for now as we await any positive news from The Oval.

While we wait for play to resume, there's more great news from the 2024 Paralympics for India! Praveen Kumar has secured gold in the Men's High Jump T64 event, bringing India’s gold medal count to 6. The overall medal tally now stands at 26, including 9 silvers and 11 bronze. This is already India's best-ever Paralympic performance, and with a few more events still to come, there's hope for even more medals to add to the tally. Currently, China leads the event with 76 gold medals while Great

UPDATE - 12.34 pm GMT - The conditions remain dark overhead and it continues to rain in London as we speak. The pitch and the squares are covered under white sheets and the waiting game continues. Stay tuned for further updates.

UPDATE - 12.20 pm GMT - Ideally, the second session should have started by now as the allotted 40 minutes for Lunch break have passed now. But, unfortunately, the conditions haven't improved one bit and it hasn't stopped raining. We will probably see a 'delay of an unknown length' as mentioned on-air by Ian Ward. Stick around for further updates.

England as usual have been pretty aggressive with the run-scoring and Ben Duckett is leading the charge. He has already notched up his half-century in quick time, and will be disappointed that his momentum has been halted due to uncontrollable factors. Ollie Pope has also played his shots since coming onto bat and both of them looked in good touch. Lahiru Kumara was the lone wicket-taker for the visitors in this session, but this break now gives them enough time to come up with some differen

Winning the toss, Sri Lanka decided to bowl first under gloomy and overcast conditions hoping their pacers would get good help. However, that was not quite the case as there wasn't much movement, and the visitors were quite inconsistent with their line and lengths as well. They went past the edges on a few occasions but didn't really had anything to show until Dan Lawrence got into an awkward position and gifted his wicket away.

SESSION SUMMARY - 76 runs and 1 wicket in 15 overs! Well, if you are thinking how only 15 overs have been bowled in the first session, it is because of the mixture of bad light with rain. The umpires in the hopes of the conditions getting better have decided to take an early Lunch on Day 1.

UPDATE - 11.35 am GMT - We have an update and it is not a promising one, folks! The drizzle has now turned into proper showers and an early Lunch will be taken at 11.40 am GMT. 

UPDATE - 11.32 am GMT - As mentioned by Ian Ward on air, it's going to be a 'rancid day'. The radar shows that the conditions might even get worse in the upcoming hours as there's a huge and thick cloud cover hovering around South London which might bring showers. As of now, it is not a heavy drizzle but more importantly, the play won't resume until the light conditions get improved. Please stick around for further updates.

UPDATE - 11.21 am GMT - Uh, oh! The light meter is out and unfortunately, the umpires have deemed that the light has deteriorated. There's more artificial light as compared to natural light which is not an ideal condition to continue with the play. The players are now walking off the field as there's a slight drizzle as well out there. The white sheets are being brought in now to cover the strip. It's not that heavy right now, but the conditions are too muggy overhead, to say the least. If the

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, 3 runs.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, Pitched up, once again just outside off. Ben Duckett comes forward and pushes it towards cover region for no runs. 

Change.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Pitches it up, oon off. Ollie Pope rests it down towards the cover region for no runs. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Sprays fuller, just outside off, angling towards the stump. Ollie Pope plants his front foot and blocks it right under his eyesight. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Pitched up, and outside of. Ollie Pope solidly defends to his front. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Full-length delivery just outside off. Ollie Pope leans towards the delivery and drives it gently towards mid off. 

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Short of a length on off. Ben Duckett prods and defends it down. 

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, ! TOP SHOT! 

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, No run.

Drinks! Time for the first hydration break in this third Test. England have dominated the session thus far as they have maintained to score at a healthy run rate in this first hour or so. Ben Duckett has looked rock-solid and is already into his 40s. The ball hasn't done much of a movement which might trouble the batters big time, or we can say, the Sri Lankan bowlers have been inconsistent with their lines and lengths. But they have managed to break the opening partnership as Lawrence had a tou

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Four!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! That's big!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, 3 runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, On a length and around off, Ollie Pope looks to guide it away but ends up stabbing it towards short covers again.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Fuller and on off, Ollie Pope gets forward and plays a front foot defense towards short covers.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Hard length and around off, Ollie Pope punches it towards deep point for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and outside off, shapes away again, Ollie Pope goes after it and slashes hard but fails to connect.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Hits the length hard and in that channel outside off, shapes away a touch, Ollie Pope offers no shot at it.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Fuller in length and on off again, Ollie Pope this time prods forward and blocks it out.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Pitched up and on off, Ollie Pope looks to drive but losses his bottom hand, fails to get the timing as the ball rolls towards mid off.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, ! Lovely shot!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Hard length and on off, shapes in, Ollie Pope leaves it alone, Dinesh Chandimal dives to stop it but only manages to parry it away allowing a bye. He is having a torrid time behind the stumps here.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, On a length and on leg, Ben Duckett works it around the corner for another run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 2 runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Leg bye.

Ollie Pope, the English skipper walks in at number 3.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, ! IN THE AIR....GONE! Lahiru Kumara draws first blood here! Dan Lawrence's lean patch continues as he goes back for yet another low score in this series.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, MORE! Good aggression from Ben Duckett!

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, ! Thrashed away!

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Pulls his length back this time, on off, Ben Duckett takes a couple of steps forward and blocks it out to the off side.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Pitches it up now, on middle and leg, no real movement on this one, Ben Duckett knocks it down to mid on.

Milan Rathnayake to Dan Lawrence, On a length and on middle, Dan Lawrence nudges it towards mid-wicket for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Nicely played! Milan Rathnayake starts with a cross-seam delivery, full and on off, Ben Duckett presents the full face of his bat and drives it smoothly past mid off, Dhananjaya de Silva from mid on chases after it, puts in a dive forward to push it back inside. Three runs taken.

Milan Rathnayake has been introduced into the attack now. He replaces Asitha Fernando.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, On a length and on middle, Ben Duckett works it wide of mid-wicket for another run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 2 runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, Good-length delivery, shapes in sharply with a bit of an extra bounce, Dan Lawrence gets into an awkward position but flicks it away through mid-wicket for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, Back of a length and around off, Dan Lawrence hops up a bit and dabs it down towards point.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Too straight again! On a length and angles into the leg side, Dan Lawrence nudges it away towards fine leg for a run.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Hits the length hard, on the sixth stump line, this one takes off a bit after hitting the deck, Dan Lawrence watches it through, lifts it his bat and lets it go to the keeper.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Short of a length and around leg, Ben Duckett easily tucks it off his hips towards fine leg for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Asitha Fernando lands this one back of a length, on off, holds its line and skids through as well, Ben Duckett gets a bit hurried but manages well to pat it down to the off side.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Goes fuller again but on the pads this time, Ben Duckett flicks it away nicely but finds short mid-wicket. That was there to be put away.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Keeps it straight, keeps it full, shapes in a touch, Ben Duckett stays in his crease and blocks it out with a straight bat down the pitch.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, Good leave! Kumara lands it on a nagging length, slightly nipping back in after pitching outside off, Dan Lawrence watches the ball closely and opts out as he hangs his bat in the air.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, First runs for Lawrence and he gets a cheer from the spectators. Over the top of the middle, on the back of a length, Dan Lawrence tucks it off the back foot towards deep square leg for a couple of runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Full on the off stump, Ben Duckett taps it towards cover for a quick single.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, ! Now that's a gracious shot!

Oops, that must have hurt Dinesh Chandimal! He has a blow on his right hand lower thumb, as he dives to his right to keep the delivery. The physio is out to have a look. Chamdimal is back on his feet and is ready to keep further. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Lahiru Kumar starts with a couple of slips in place. Starts a bit wayward on the hard length, down leg. Ben Duckett misses to pull. Dinesh Chandimal moves to his right as the ball moves away very late. Does manage to get his right hand at it but the ball deflects off his gloves towards the short fine region.

First change in the inning. Lahiru Kumara joins the attack now.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, At 129 kph, good length, outside off, Dan Lawrence leaves it alone. The ball carries to the keeper with a bit of a lateral movement, but Chandimal manages to collect it well and sharply behind the wickets.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Hard-length delivery outside off, Dan Lawrence lets it go.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, 3 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Hard length at 134 kph, outside off, Ben Duckett weighs on the back foot and mistimes the pull shot along the ground to mid-wicket.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Good length, across off, Ben Duckett pokes at it, looking for a back foot push but gets beaten on the outside edge.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, Similar length, but a bit closer to the body, Ben Duckett hits it across and threads the flick through mid-wicket and mid on. Kamindu Mendis chases the ball from the mid on region and does well to intercept it before the ropes with a slide. He lobs the ball to the converging fielder from mid-wicket. Three taken in the meantime.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, ! Nice shot! Vishwa Fernando misses his line and bowls it full and down leg, Ben Duckett simply flicks it through the mid-wicket and mid on gap for a boundary.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Oopsie! That took off quite late!

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Almost an identical line and length, outside off, Dan Lawrence shoulders arms at this one.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, And again! 

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Corrects his length and line, on the middle and on the good length, Dan Lawrence gets behind the line of the ball and punches it solidly underneath his bat off the back foot.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, WIDE! Sprays it well across and outside the tramline on a length. Wide given.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett,Good-length delivery sliding down leg, Duckett lets it pass.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Asitha hurls this one on a questioning length! Entices the batter to poke at it by bowling it full and in the channel of uncertainty, just outside off. Ben Duckett has a feel for it and prods forward to defend it. Plays it inside the line and gets beaten on the outside edge by a whisker.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, ! Almost chopped on, but gets away with it does Duckett!

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Fuller and around the middle and off, Ben Duckett pushes it firmly to mid on.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Back of a length, fractionally swinging in from middle with the angle, Ben Duckett glances it with soft hands towards square leg.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Swing and a miss! Full and across off, Ben Duckett has to really reach out for it as he extends his arms and slashes hard. Ends up getting beaten on the outside edge.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, There's that questioning line and length! Lands it on the leg stump line and moves it away from the batter around off, on a length, Dan Lawrence attempts for a firm push, but plays inside the line of the ball and gets beaten on the outside edge.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Aims the middle and leg stump line with an inward movement, Dan Lawrence stands upright and glances it straight to square leg who misfields and parries the ball to mid-wicket, but is quick to redeem himself. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, Over the top of off, on a length, and shaping inwards. Ben Duckett waits for it to arrive and tucks it with soft hands to wide mid-wicket and jogs for a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, This one tails in a long way, starts from the middle stump and goes down the leg side on a fullish length. Ben Duckett misses to flick it away and the keeper collects it by bending to his left.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, Vishwa Fernando begins with a couple of slips in place and a gully in position. Hits the deck hard outside off from over the pegs, Ben Duckett punches it off the back foot to the short cover region.

Vishwa Fernando will be bowling from the other end.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Back of a length and on middle, at 129 kph, Dan Lawrence defends it to mid-wicket.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, A streaky way to get underway! On the middle, curving in a shade on a fuller length, Ben Duckett closes the bat's face way early on the flick shot and gets a leading edge to the cover-point region for a quick single.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Play and a miss! Outside off on a hard length, Ben Duckett does not move his feet and tries to slash it hard but misses and gets beaten on the outside edge.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Asitha with two slips and a gully, begins from over the stumps and bowls right on the money!

Done with the pre-match formalities! The conditions are pretty overcast here at the Oval and we are now ready for the final Test of the English summer. Ben Duckett and Dan Lawrence are the two openers for England. Asitha Fernando has the new red cherry in his hand and is raring to go. Let's play...

We are moments away from the start of the game but before that, players from both sides make their way out to the middle and line up for their respective national anthems. It will be Sri Lanka's first followed by the national anthem of England.

PITCH REPORT - Stuart Broad and Mark Butcher are inspecting the deck. Butcher reckons that with overhead conditions being grey, batting might be a bit challenging. Mentions that the groundsmen have cut down the grass to 4mm which is less than the usual county games. Adds that it will be all about using the conditions. Broad joins him and adds that the ball will move here and it is all about seam movement. Says if you are a bowler, you got to hit the hard lengths to generate success. Also adds th

Ollie Pope, the captain of England says that they would have bowled first as well but it will be a nice challenge for them to bat. Adds that he trusts the abilities of Josh Hull who plays his first Test. States that the youngster enjoys every moment and he bowled beautifully in the nets, so looking forward to seeing him in the game. He reckons he has been short of runs but hopes to change that in this match. Ends up saying that the Joe Root is making the best out of his highs and he would lov

Dhananjaya de Silva, the skipper of Sri Lanka says they cannot control the weather and just focus on what they can do and control with while on the field. Informs they are going with 4 regular seamers. Is hopeful that the workload will be shared equally in this Test. Informs Kusal Mendis and Vishwa Fernando come in place of Nishan Madushka and Prabath Jayasuriya.

A big day for 20-year old Josh Hull as he makes his Test debut. Just before the toss, he was presented with the cap by none other than the legendary Andrew Flintoff. 

England (Playing XI) - Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope(C), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith(WK), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Olly Stone, Josh Hull (In place of Matthew Potts and On Debut), Shoaib Bashir. 

Sri Lanka (Playing XI) - Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (In place of Nishan Madushka), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Kamindu Mendis, Milan Rathnayake, Vishwa Fernando (In place of Prabath Jayasuriya), Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando.

TOSS - The coin lands in favour of Dhananjaya de Silva. Sri Lanka have elected to BOWL first for the second time in a row in this series.

We are back!

... SECOND INNINGS ...

England, on the other hand, will be a bit disappointed as they would have hoped for something near or over 400 after the start that they got. However, we have seen them collapse like this earlier in the summer as well. Ollie Pope was the mainstay for the hosts who notched up his 7th hundred in Tests.

Sri Lanka wraps England up for 325 here! They have been pretty much on the money from the start of Day 2 and kept the pressure on the batters. After a forgettable Day 1 where they conceded 221 runs in just 45 overs of play, this has been a remarkable turnaround for them. The pacers did the job excellently here with Milan Rathnayake sitting on top with three wickets while Vishwa Fernando and Lahiru Kumara chipped in with a couple of wickets each. 

Milan Rathnayake to Shoaib Bashir, ! IN THE AIR AND TAKEN! A momentous collapse for England and Sri Lanka have managed to sneak back in the contest after a dismal outing on the first day. Milan Rathnayake bowls it on the back of a length, around off, it springs off the deck a bit and comes high on the batter. Shoaib Bashir clears his front leg and tries to play a wild heave across the line, but as the ball gets heavier on him, he ends up slicing it off the high end of the bat. The bal

Asitha Fernando to Olly Stone, Asitha follows the batter as Stone shuffles outside leg, pitches it outside leg and on the hard length, Olly Stone is cramped up for room and just about manages to tap it to the leg side.

Asitha Fernando to Olly Stone, Six!

Asitha Fernando to Shoaib Bashir, 1 run.

Asitha Fernando to Shoaib Bashir, No run.

Shoaib Bashir is the last man in. This may be the last over before Lunch, but if a wicket does not fall here, the umpires will surely extend this session.

Asitha Fernando to Josh Hull, ! c Dhananjaya de Silva b Asitha Fernando.

Asitha Fernando to Olly Stone, Length ball, outside off, Olly Stone responds with a crisp back foot square cut towards deep point. Jogs for a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, Short and wide of off, Josh Hull swings and misses.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, At off, on a nagging length, Josh Hull swats it away to the mid off region. The fielder at the mentioned position dives to his left and intercepts the ball. 

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, Back of a length, and outside off, Josh Hull eases it to the off side.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, 2 runs.

Vishwa Fernando to Olly Stone, At the pads on a good length, Olly Stone glances it to wide square leg for a quick single.

Vishwa Fernando to Olly Stone, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, 1 run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, 2 runs.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, ! Gets off the mark in style does Olly Stone! Too full and there to be hit, on the middle, Olly Stone strides out for a sweep, gets on his knee and sweeps it nicely along the ground, past square leg for a boundary.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, Pushed through, floated full on the stumps, Olly Stone defends it with a good forward stride.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, Back of a length and wide outside off. Hull lets it be.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, No run.

Josh Hull, the debutant comes out to the middle now.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! IN THE AIR AND TAKEN AGAIN! This time, it's the English skipper, Ollie Pope who tried to take the aggressive route but holes out. Sri Lanka, right back in the game now.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, No run.

Olly Stone is the next man in.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, ! IN THE AIR AND TAKEN! Sri Lankan skipper, DDS strikes now and England have now lost three quick wickets with the tail exposed.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, Full on the middle stump, Ollie Pope drives it to the wide of mid off, and takes a single.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, Short of a length on the pads, this tucked in the square leg region for a single.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, There comes the reverse sweep! Full and on off, Gus Atkinson reverse sweeps off the leading edge. The ball lands behind short third and they cross for the double.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, Tossed up, pushed through on leg, Gus Atkinson tries to push it to the leg side but wears it on the pads.

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, Too full and outside off, Gus Atkinson attempts the expansive cover drive by extending his arms. Finds Angelo Mathews at cover who parries the ball to the deep and allows a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, Beauty! That in-between length, around off, deviating fractionally away from the batter. Gus Atkinson is squared up and gets beaten on the outside edge.

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, Peach!

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, On the leg stump line, at the pads, Gus Atkinson blocks it off the back foot.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Across off on a length, Ollie Pope slashes it away to deep point for a single.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Gus Atkinson, the centurion from the previous Test walks out to bat now.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, 1 run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Chris Woakes, ! c Milan Rathnayake b Dhananjaya de Silva.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Chris Woakes, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Hard-length delivery on off, shaping it away. Ollie Pope goes for the cut but gets beaten on the outer edge. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Chris Woakes, On a length on leg and middle. Chris Woakes rocks back and hops a bit to tuck it towards right of the short mid-wicket fielder for a single. 

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, Fullish, and just outside off. Ollie Pope punches it toward wide of long off and gets a couple of runs. 

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Chris Woakes, 1 run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Chris Woakes comes out to the middle now. We will see some spin now as skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva brings himself into the attack.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, ! c Kusal Mendis b Vishwa Fernando.

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Pitched up, on off. Jamie Smith drives it towards the cover region. 

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Play and a miss! 

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Pitched up, on off, shaping away. Jamie Smith lunges and slightly opens the face of the bat while performing the drive to guide the ball towards deep cover-point. A couple of runs. taken in between. 

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Vishwa Fernando, the southpaw of Sri Lanka, comes from 'over the wicket and bowls fuller on middle and off. Jamie Smith prods and defends it towards the cover region. 

Drinks! Well, fair to say, the Sri Lankans have come out much improved as compared to the first day. But, luck hasn't quite been with them. They have done everything right, by bowling fuller and allowing the ball to curve and deviate. A lot of inside edges and close calls prove that the English batters tried to unsettle the bowlers and negate the swing. Harry Brook looked uncomfortable and tried to go aggressive and lost his wicket.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, ! EDGED, GAP AND FOUR! 

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Swinging down the leg side, on the back of a length, Ollie Pope goes for a leg glance but misses. The ball brushes off the thigh pad and carries to the keeper.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Four!

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Leg bye.

Vishwa Fernando (7-0-29-0) has been brought into the attack from the Vauxhall end. He replaces Milan Rathnayake.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and around off, Ollie Pope stabs it down on the ground, point dives to his left but fails to stop it and the batters get a double.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Length again, on middle, straightens a bit, Ollie Pope looks to work it away but gets a bit squared up as it pops up off the leading edge and lands well before covers.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Good length and on off, Jamie Smith steers it through point for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, ! Fortuitous!

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and on middle, Ollie Pope keeps it out to the leg side.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Full again and around off now, Ollie Pope steers it away towards gully.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, EDGED AND ! Milan Rathnayake lands this back of a length and just outside off, Ollie Pope tries to cut it away, but gets an outside edge, and can you guess where this one goes? Yes, exactly between that gap between the wide first slip and gully for a boundary.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, A bit fuller this time, on middle, Ollie Pope watches it through and blocks it out on te pitch.

Milan Rathnayake to Jamie Smith, On a length and around off, Jamie Smith guides it towards deep point for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Back of a length and angling into the body of the batter, Jamie Smith pulls it away towards fine leg for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Good stop! Overpitched and on off, Jamie Smith drives it away firmly wide of mid off, DDS dives to his right and makes a fine one-handed stop.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Short of a length and on off, angles in, Jamie Smith stays back and blocks it out.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, On a length and on off, Jamie Smith taps it out toward short covers. Lahiru Kumara is consistently blowing on good lines now.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, BEATEN! Lahiru Kumara serves this full and around off, nips away slightly, but it is enough to beat the outside edge of Smith who goes for the big drive.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Lahiru Kumara bowls this on a good length and on off, Jamie Smith pats it away on the back foot as it rolls towards mid off.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Hard length and outside off, Jamie Smith opens the bat face and steers it through point for a run and gets off the mark.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Back of a length and on off, Jamie Smith hops up a bit and keeps it out to the off side.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Pitched up and on the sixth stump line, Jamie Smith strides out and pushes it towards short covers.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Pulls his length back a bit, on off, Jamie Smith stays back and blocks it out.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Full again and on off, shapes away a touch, Jamie Smith tries to play it but gets an outside edge along the ground towards gully.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Fuller and angling into the pads, Ollie Pope flicks it through square leg for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Jamie Smith, No run.

Jamie Smith walks in at number 6 for England. Joins his fellow Surrey man and his skipper, Pope.

Milan Rathnayake to Jamie Smith, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, ! BRILLIANTLY TAKEN! Milan Rathnayake gets another important breakthrough for Sri Lanka.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Goes fuller now, on middle and off, Harry Brook steers it towards gully.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Sign of aggression again! Back of a length and outside off, shapes away, Harry Brook charges down the track and throws his bat at it, but fails to connect.

Not really sure, but Dhananjaya de Silva is having a word with the on-field umpire.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Milan Rathnayake hits the length hard and around off, nips away a bit, Harry Brook plays well inside the line of it and the ball goes through to the keeper.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Overpitched and just outside off, Ollie Pope reaches out for it and drills it away, the fielder at short covers gets a hand to it to reduce the momentum. A half-stop you can say. The batters crosses for a double.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! Goes through that gap again! Sri Lanka needs to rethink their slip positions.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, That's a peach of a delivery!

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, An appeal for LBW but 'No' says the umpire, Joel Wilson!

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Fuller and with a bit of a movement at off, Ollie Pope responds with a solid front foot defence.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Gentle outswing outside off, Harry Brook eases it off the thickish outside edge to th second slip.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Hard length again, outside off, Pope punches it to cover-point.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Shade full and around off, Ollie Pope plants his front leg ahead and drives it straight to cover.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Four!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Outside off, length, Harry Brook looks to cut it away but is a bit too early on the shot, and almost chops it on getting a thick inside edge. Kicks the ball to the cover region in the end.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Rathnayake brings the angle much closer this time around as he sees Pope charging down again. Ollie Pope manages to clip it across along the ground to deep mid-wicket for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, On the back of a length, outside off, Ollie Pope slashes it hard but finds the fielder at cover.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, ! Oh, what a shot that is! Milan Rathnayake goes full and on the off stump line, with a gentle outward deviation, Ollie Pope gets his dancing shoes on and skips down the track, and whips it across the line through the mid-wicket region for a cracking boundary.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Good length shaping away from outside off, left alone.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 'Two, two. two' is the call and they will get it! Excellent running between the wickets by the two! Back of a length, on the stumps, Ollie Pope walks across a couple of steps to the off stump and nudges it with soft hands towards deep mid-wicket for a couple of runs. 

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Over the top of the middle, on the length, Harry Brook gets behind the line and punches it to wide mid on for a quick single.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Holds on the off stump channel does Asitha Fernando, pulls his length fractionally and it skids quickly off the pitch. Harry Brook dead bats at it and lets it pass.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Length ball, outside off, Pope drives it towards deep cover for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, EDGED AND ! 

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, ! Dear, oh dear! Asitha Fernando has put down an absolute sitter! Just about sums up Sri Lanka's condition in this series. That should have been taken!

A quick change for Sri Lanka as Milan Rathnayake joins the attack. 

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Outswing, on a length, outside off, Ollie Pope slashes it with an upright stance through cover-point for an easy couple of runs. Lahiru Kumara does well to do the mop up work running and sliding to his right from deep point. Saves two for his side.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, On a fuller length and away from the off stump. Pope is invited to drive, and he looks to play without footwork and is well beaten on the outside edge.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Over the top of the off peg, on the length, Harry Brook walks down to the track and guides it behind the square towards deep point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Some movement again! Outside off on the back of a length, it deviates further away from the batter and Brook leaves.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Asitha gets a genuine outswing from outside off on a fuller length, Harry Brook plants his front foot but decides to not have a go at it.

Asitha Fernando will be bowling from the other end. 

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! The umpire raises his finger but Harry Brook thinks otherwise and goes upstairs straightaway!

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, First runs of Day 2 for England! Back of a length to follow again, around off, Harry Brook punches it with soft hands towards deep backward point for a couple of runs.

In all readiness for the action on Day 2 to begin! The two umpires stride out to the middle, followed by the Lankans as they take their positions. Harry Brook and Ollie Pope are on their way to the crease to resume their innings for England. Lahiru Kumara will get the job to start the proceeding for Sri Lanka. Let's play...

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, Kumara starts from over the stumps, and lands it on the money, around off and nipping back into the batter. Harry Brook hops on the back foot to punch it to the off side and gets a thick leading edge towards wide gully where Pathum Nissanka dives to his right and intercepts the ball.

JUST IN - England fans have received disappointing news as fast bowler Mark Wood will be missing the rest of 2024. Medical scans revealed he has a bone stress injury in his right elbow, which he noticed was getting stiffer and more uncomfortable during the Test series against the West Indies earlier this summer. He also had an injury on his right thigh in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford, which is being monitored and managed. As a result, he will miss England's upcoming Test to

On the other hand, Sri Lanka has gone all out with a pace-heavy attack, fielding four main seamers. They have only Kamindu Mendis and captain DDS to offer spin options. However, the big question is whether the spinners can create breakthroughs once the ball gets older, or if the short-ball strategy will be enough to challenge England’s lineup. Despite the bowlers getting significant swing on this pitch, they have struggled to contain England’s batters so far. The Lankans will need to rethink

England is in a comfortable position, thanks to strong performances from their top-order batsmen. For the first time in this series, the top order has managed to provide a solid start, despite the bowler-friendly conditions. Ben Duckett was in sensational form, scoring a quickfire 86 off 79 balls, playing aggressively and putting pressure back on Sri Lanka’s bowlers. Local favorite Ollie Pope, who had struggled in the previous games, is still unbeaten and has already reached his century—a mu

Hello and a very warm welcome to all our viewers joining us for the buildup to Day 2 of this third and final Test match between England and Sri Lanka at The Oval, London. Unfortunately, Day 1 saw limited action due to bad light and some light drizzle. Today, the weather looks cloudy with a slight chance of rain, but we’re hoping for a full day of cricket. 

... DAY 2, SESSION 1 ...

Right then, that’s a wrap from Day 1 of this final Test match. Coming to Day 2, England, buoyed by their performance, will be eager to capitalize on their momentum and extend their score further. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka faces the challenge of regrouping overnight, aiming to return with renewed determination. The action will resume for Day 2 on Saturday, September 7th, with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 10 am GMT. Until then, cheers!

Cut to the final session, the situation remained identically struggling for the Sri Lankans. Pope, well settled, mounted a brisk hundred and looked totally unfettered. But, the light conditions didn't permit the play to continue any further. It was a start-stop kind of a day at The Oval and was dwarfed with only 44.1 overs bowled. So, whom does the first day belong to? Any guesses? Do we need to tell? Jokes apart, England has asserted its dominance well and truly and has left Sri Lanka to searc

But the play was interrupted as rain and bad light played a spoilsport. After a delay of nearly two hours, play finally resumed, though the first session was abbreviated. Pope and Duckett navigated the testing conditions unbothered, accumulating runs by playing on the merit, maintaining a steady run rate of around 5 runs per over, courtesy of strictly average and wayward bowling. Fell to his own aggression, Ben Duckett, yet again missed his well-deserved century, but again, the Lankan bowlers c

Despite conditions that should have favoured seam bowling due to the dampness around, Sri Lanka's pace attack looked surprisingly defensive. They struggled to find their rhythm, rarely troubling the batters with challenging lines and lengths. Nonetheless, Lahiru Kumar managed to break through, claiming the first wicket for Sri Lanka midway through the opening session. Typically, overcast skies and residual moisture on the pitch create challenging conditions for batters, offering bowlers enhan

The rain-interrupted Day 1 draws to an unfortunate close. The day began under muggy, overcast skies, conditions that persisted throughout. Sri Lanka won the toss and inserted the hosts to bat first. England's openers set a steady pace in the first hour, with Duckett displaying notable comfort at the crease. In contrast, Lawrence struggled, and his vulnerability outside off-stump was exposed, and he failed to reach double digits. True to their 'Bazball' brand of cricket, England maintained a br

UPDATE - 5.32 pm GMT - And, the inevitable has happened, folks! Considering the deteriorating light conditions at The Oval, Stumps have been officially called for Day 1. Not a pleasing news by any means, but it is mandatory to follow the rule books of the sport. 

UPDATE - 5.11 pm GMT - The conditions don't look quite promising at The Oval. It is heavily overcast, which has persistently been the case for the whole day so far. On the other hand, Australia, the probable favourites in the series, convincingly defeated Scotland in the second T20I at Edinburgh, and clinched the 3-match T20I series, leading by 2-0 now. Australia first notched up a whopping 196, which included a blistering century from Josh Inglis off just 49 deliveries. And while defending th

UPDATE - 4.49 pm GMT - Uh, oh! It was inevitable, wasn't it? It has gotten a bit darker with all the floodlights glittering now. The umpire Chris Gaffaney takes the light meter out and after examining the readings, he requests the players to walk off the field and the crowd does not really like it as the park echoes with their boos. Fair to say, not an ideal condition to continue. Well, Sri Lanka would not be too displeased with this as they really need to regroup and restructure their stra

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, False stroke!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! HUNDRED FOR POPE! 7th Test century for him and his first at the Oval!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Pitched up and outside off again, Ollie Pope once again reaches out for it and this time drills it through the gap at covers for a couple of runs. Pope is on 99 now!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, He is not able to get away here! Good length and on off, shapes in, Ollie Pope moves across to flick it away but misses and gets hit on the pads. 

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Full and outside off, Ollie Pope reaches out for it but mistimes his drive towards short covers.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Back of a length and outside off, Harry Brook cuts it away towards deep point for a single. Pope's back on strike now in his nervous 90s!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Length again, on middle, Ollie Pope clips it away towards short mid-wicket. He will have to wait a bit more.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Halt! That must have stung Pope really hard on the elbow.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! The skipper is in hurry now to get to the milestone!

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, Fuller and around off, Harry Brook opens the face of his bat and drives it through cover-point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! Gets it away now! Back of a length and on middle, does not bounce that much, Ollie Pope gets a bit stuck in his crease but still manages to swipe it away, it races through the practice pitches and to the deep mid-wicket fence for a boundary. Pope moves into the 90s now!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Massive appeal for caught behind, but turned down! The keeper convinces his skipper, DDS to take the review.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, BEATEN!

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Back of a length and around off, Harry Brook dabs it wide of point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, ! Harry Brook joins the party now but in streaky fashion! Asitha Fernando begins with a good-length delivery, on off, Harry Brook uses his feet to push it away but gets an outside edge that goes between the second slip and gully for a boundary. A third slip and it would have gone straight into the hands.

Asitha Fernando to share the attack from the other end.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Goes full again, on off, angling in, Ollie Pope taps it out towards short covers. 6 runs off the over then!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Overpitched and just outside off, Ollie Pope drills it out straight to short covers.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and outside off, Ollie Pope cuts it away towards deep point for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! Just over!

We are back for the final session of the first day. The two umpires Joel Wilson and Chris Gaffaney walk out to the middle. The Sri Lankan players walk down the stairs to take their fielding positions. Ollie Pope, eyeing for his 7th Test hundred, along with Harry Brook to resume their innings with the bat. The floodlights are illuminating and it remains to be overcast out there. Lahiru Kumara to continue after the break. And, here we go...

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Lahiru Kumara starts with a back-of-a-length delivery, on of, Ollie Pope looks to punch it away but bunts it down on the ground.

... DAY 1, SESSION 3 ...

After the rain, the ball swung much more than the prior session but the bowlers failed to put much pressure on the batters. After the loss of their second wicket, Pope and Joe Root handled the situation a bit passively, but they made sure to keep the scoreboard ticking. The local boy, Pope also accomplished his 14th half-century in the Test cricket format. Everything was going well for the Three Lions, but the compilation of the change of bringing Lahiru Kumara back into the attack in the 39th o

TEA, DAY 1 - Session Summary - 25 overs, 118 runs, 2 wickets. England would be mighty pleased with the score they have managed to put on. The clash resumed late after the Lunch break, because of some slight drizzle. The groundsmen have done a fabulous job of draining the logged water pretty quickly. Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope started their strands from where they ended. Well, the runs were coming thick, and especially Duckett went hard on the Lankan pacers, and caressed some scoops and cuts to

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, A beauty to end the over and the session! Asitha Fernando lands this on a good length, just on off, nips away a shy bit, Harry Brook gets drawn forward as the ball zips past the outside edge. THAT WILL BE TEA ON DAY 2!

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Pitches it up a bit, on middle, Harry Brook fends it down the pitch.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, On a length and on middle, Harry Brook nudges it towards mid-wicket.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 3 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Full and on off, Ollie Pope prods out and blocks it out.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, No run.

Harry Brook walks in at number 5.

Lahiru Kumara to Joe Root, ! TAKEN! This is a massive wicket for Sri Lanka! Lahiru Kumara gets his second and gets the big fish as well. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Fuller and on off, Ollie Pope taps it just wide of point for a quick single.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Good length from 'over the wicket, on off, angles in, Ollie Pope stays back and blocks it out.

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, Overpitched and around off, Joe Root strides out and drives it nicely, but Kusal Mendis at cover-point dives to his right to save the boundary. Good fielding!

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, Fuller in length and on off, Joe Root strides out and blocks it out solidly.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and around off, Ollie Pope dabs it through point for a single. That also brings up the 50-run partnership between these two batters.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! 'Catch it is the call, but this one goes away! Asitha Fernando bangs this short but way outside off, Ollie Pope this time goes after it, does really well to reach for it and slices it away towards the deep point fence for a boundary.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Back of a length and outside off, shaping away, Ollie Pope thinks about slashing at it but decides against it in the end.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Hard length, on middle, angling in, Joe Root nudges it wide of deep square leg for a brace.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Pulls his length back now, on the sixth stump line, Joe Root stays back and guides it towards gully.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Fuller and on off, Joe Root drives it away straight towards short covers.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Good length and outside off, tempts the batter, but Joe Root moves a bit forward and leaves it alone.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and outside off, Ollie Pope cuts it away towards deep point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, Back of a length and around off, Joe Root guides it to point.

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, Goes fuller again, on off, Joe Root strides out and dabs it down towards gully.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, On a length and around off, Ollie Pope steers it wide of point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Very full again, on off, Joe Root plays the full-blooded drive but finds mid off.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, ! Deft touch!

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, ! Excellent shot! Angelo Mathews goes full and just around off, Ollie Pope leans on to his drive nicely, and with the full face of the bat creams it through covers for a boundary.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Back-to-back maidens from Milan Rathnayake! Short of a length and around off, Joe Root dabs it down towards point.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Sticks to his fuller length, on middle now and angles in, Joe Root steps across and knocks it towards mid on.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Overpitched and on off, Joe Root drills it hard down the pitch, but Milan Rathnayake does well to stop it on his follow-through.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Full again and on off, angles in this time, Joe Root stays back in his crease and blocks it out.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Good-length delivery around off, shaping away, Joe Root lets it go to the keeper.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, A bit of hesitation between the two batters but they cross over. Length-delivery around off, Joe Root taps it to the cover-point region and scampers to the other end for a single.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Attacks the stumps does Mathews and bowls it full and around off, Joe Root flicks it to mid on.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Angelo Mathews hurls it on the back of a length, and keeps the line outside off, Joe Root lets it go alone.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, Mathews starts off with a slip in place, bowls it on the back of a length, tailing away outside off, Ollie Pope punches it off the back foot through cover-point for an easy single.

.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, On the fifth stump line, on the length, Joe Root covers his defence and punches it off the back foot to the off side. This is the only second maiden over of the day so far.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Straight and full, aiming the off stump, Joe Root gets a good stride forward and respect the ball with a solid defence.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Closer to the off peg, on a length, Joe Root gets behind the line and defends it to the strip.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Gets that away shape does Milan Rathnayake, fuller and outside off, Joe Root watches the ball closely, prods ahead but leaves it alone.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Vishwa Fernando is struggling big time with his lengths here. Again, bowls it down the leg. Root lets it go.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Hurls it on the back of a length at the pads, Joe Root, with ease, glances it off the back foot to deep square leg for a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Wayward down leg, Joe Root lets it pass. 

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Shorter in length again but down leg, Root lets it go behind to the keeper.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Back of a length, outside off, Ollie Pope cuts it past backward point for a single.

.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, A questioning over from Rathnayake! Back to bowling on around off with a hint of an away movement on a good length. Joe Root has a feel for it and positions himself to attempt the square cut but it leaves the right hander with the angle and beats him up.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Couldn't hold onto that enticing line does Milan Rathnayake as he hurls it on the pads now. Joe Root misses to glance it away and gets rapped on the front thigh pad.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, And again! That inviting line on a length, with an away movement, Joe Root again pokes at it and gets beaten on the outside edge.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Woah! Beauty!

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Length-delivery, outside off, Ollie Pope cuts it behind square towards deep point for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, ! Width and Pope pounces on it gleefully! Milan Rathnayake pitches it well outside off, it nips away a shade after pitching, Ollie Pope with a steady head position, extends his levers and slashes it hard through covers for a boundary.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Wayward, and down leg, Ollie Pope wrists the glace towards deep backward square leg for an easy single.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Hits the nagging length, around middle, and angling on off, Joe Root rides on the bounce and guides it past point for a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Across off on a length, Joe Root goes back and attempts the square cut but ends up getting a thickish inside edge towards the second slip on one bounce.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Fractionally on a good length, around middle and leg, Joe Root walks across a couple of steps and tucks it along the ground with soft hands towards deep square leg for a couple of runs.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Good length a shade outside off, at 130 kph, Root covers the line with a front foot stride and defends it to covers.

Vishwa Fernando comes back into the attack now.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Much better this time from Rathnayake! Closer to the body, on middle and full in length, Ollie Pope replies with a confident front foot defence.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Again, Milan Rathnayake angles it on the middle and leg, on the back of a length, Ollie Pope reads it well, hops on the back foot and tucks it with softer hands to deep square leg for a couple of runs.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Full, but down the leg stump line, Joe Root tilts forward and flicks it to deep fine for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Drinks! Well, the Bazballers have maintained their tag wholeheartedly so far as they have hovered constantly around 5 runs per over. Ben Duckett though, fell for his own aggression and missed his century, yet again. But despite the wicket, Sri Lankan bowlers haven't been able to stem the flow of runs. 

Lahiru Kumara to Joe Root, Back of a length and on off, Joe Root stabs it in front of covers for one.

Lahiru Kumara to Joe Root, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Joe Root, ! Just wide!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, On a length and on middle, Ollie Pope works it away through backward square leg for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Four!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! Streaky and the bowler cannot believe it!

Joe Root walks in at number 4 for England.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, ! c Dinesh Chandimal b Milan Rathnayake.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Back of a length and on middle and off, Ben Duckett stays in his crease and pats it down the pitch.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Fuller once again, on the sixth stump line, Ollie Pope uses his feet this time and knocks it towards covers, he scampers across for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Change.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, A huge shot for LBW, but the umpire shakes his head! This one looks close and Dhananjaya de Silva goes for the review.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 2 runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, ! BOOM! The other way now!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Goes for it again, but misses!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Short of a length and around off, Ben Duckett pulls it away wide of deep mid-wicket for a brace. The runs are coming thick and fast now.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, ! Right from the middle this time!

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Hard length and around off again, Ben Duckett stays in his crease and muscles it away through covers, deep point runs to his right to collect it while the batters run three.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Digs it in the surface again, outside off, angles away, Ben Duckett initially winds up for the pull but withdraws from the shot in the end.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Back of a length and around off, Ben Duckett punches it towards short covers.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Full again and on middle, Ben Duckett drills it out towards mid off.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Full and around off, Ollie Pope pushes it towards short extra covers for a single, the fielder throws it at the bowler's end but misses. Pope wants the overthrow, but Duckett has gone a long way, so they settle for one.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Overpitched and on middle, Ollie Pope drills it down the pitch and wide of mid on for a run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! Fine shot!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, ! Not where he intended to play that, but gets the reward!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Back of a length and around off, Ben Duckett stays back and fends it away.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Fuller in length, angling on the pads, Ollie Pope flicks it with his wrists and along the ground toward deep backward square leg for a couple of runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Four!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, On a length just outside off. Ben Duckett rides the bounce and cuts it a bit late towards deep third man and gets a couple. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Good-length delivery on middle and leg. Ollie Pope clips it towards deep square leg and gets a comfortable single. 

Slight halt! Ollie Pope looks in a bit of pain here. He is not wearing any arm guard and the ball hits him hard on the left elbow. The physio is in to check on him. Pope is good to continue here.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Back of a length just outside off, shaping in. Ollie Pope rides the bounce and pushes it towards the cover region. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Good-length delivery on off, shaping in. Ollie Pope brings the full face of his willow to defend it down but gets nicked on the inner edge and the ball rolls towards deep fine leg for a single. 

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Full and just outside off, shaping it away from the stump. Ollie Pope shoulder arms the delivery. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, ! That one traveled like a bullet! Hard-length delivery, angling it away from the left-hander, away from the off stump. Ben Duckett frees his arms and punches it hard through the cover region for four more runs. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Length delivery on middle. Ollie Pope tucks it towards deep square leg for a single. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, 1 run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, 2 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Hard-length delivery outside off, around seventh stump. Ollie Pope cuts this one towards deep point and gets a comfortable single. 

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Four!

Vishwa Fernando to share the attack.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Good-length delivery on middle and off. Ben Duckett camps back and blocks it from the inner part of his willow towards the square leg region. 

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 3 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Asitha Fernando comes 'over the wicket and bowls on a good length on middle. Ben Duckett bunts it towards backward square leg region and gets a single. 

All set for the post-Lunch session to begin! The players are out in the field. Sri Lankan fielders take their respective fielding positions. Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope to resume their innings with the bat for England.

... DAY 1, SESSION 2 ...

UPDATE - 1.52 pm GMT - We will have an extra 30 minutes of play, which, of course, largely depends on the light conditions as the day progresses. Also, Tea will be taken at 4.10 pm GMT. And only if the conditions permit, the play can be stretched max up to 6.30 pm GMT. 

UPDATE - 1.41 pm GMT - Thank you for being so optimistic and patient, folks! It looks like the rain has stopped for now and the covers are coming off. The ground staff is working hard so that there's no more delay in the resumption. And more pleasing news, the play will resume at 2.10 pm GMT, which is about roughly 30 minutes or so from now. Let's hope that there are no further interruptions and we at least get some good action on Day 1.

UPDATE - 1.16 pm GMT - Well, we have nothing new to update as the situations persist to remain gloomy and rainy. On a brighter note, the second T20I between Scotland and Australia is finally getting underway as it got delayed due to foggy conditions in Edinburgh. Scotland won the toss and decided to field first! You can simply switch the tabs and follow that game for now as we await any positive news from The Oval.

While we wait for play to resume, there's more great news from the 2024 Paralympics for India! Praveen Kumar has secured gold in the Men's High Jump T64 event, bringing India’s gold medal count to 6. The overall medal tally now stands at 26, including 9 silvers and 11 bronze. This is already India's best-ever Paralympic performance, and with a few more events still to come, there's hope for even more medals to add to the tally. Currently, China leads the event with 76 gold medals while Great

UPDATE - 12.34 pm GMT - The conditions remain dark overhead and it continues to rain in London as we speak. The pitch and the squares are covered under white sheets and the waiting game continues. Stay tuned for further updates.

UPDATE - 12.20 pm GMT - Ideally, the second session should have started by now as the allotted 40 minutes for Lunch break have passed now. But, unfortunately, the conditions haven't improved one bit and it hasn't stopped raining. We will probably see a 'delay of an unknown length' as mentioned on-air by Ian Ward. Stick around for further updates.

England as usual have been pretty aggressive with the run-scoring and Ben Duckett is leading the charge. He has already notched up his half-century in quick time, and will be disappointed that his momentum has been halted due to uncontrollable factors. Ollie Pope has also played his shots since coming onto bat and both of them looked in good touch. Lahiru Kumara was the lone wicket-taker for the visitors in this session, but this break now gives them enough time to come up with some differen

Winning the toss, Sri Lanka decided to bowl first under gloomy and overcast conditions hoping their pacers would get good help. However, that was not quite the case as there wasn't much movement, and the visitors were quite inconsistent with their line and lengths as well. They went past the edges on a few occasions but didn't really had anything to show until Dan Lawrence got into an awkward position and gifted his wicket away.

SESSION SUMMARY - 76 runs and 1 wicket in 15 overs! Well, if you are thinking how only 15 overs have been bowled in the first session, it is because of the mixture of bad light with rain. The umpires in the hopes of the conditions getting better have decided to take an early Lunch on Day 1.

UPDATE - 11.35 am GMT - We have an update and it is not a promising one, folks! The drizzle has now turned into proper showers and an early Lunch will be taken at 11.40 am GMT. 

UPDATE - 11.32 am GMT - As mentioned by Ian Ward on air, it's going to be a 'rancid day'. The radar shows that the conditions might even get worse in the upcoming hours as there's a huge and thick cloud cover hovering around South London which might bring showers. As of now, it is not a heavy drizzle but more importantly, the play won't resume until the light conditions get improved. Please stick around for further updates.

UPDATE - 11.21 am GMT - Uh, oh! The light meter is out and unfortunately, the umpires have deemed that the light has deteriorated. There's more artificial light as compared to natural light which is not an ideal condition to continue with the play. The players are now walking off the field as there's a slight drizzle as well out there. The white sheets are being brought in now to cover the strip. It's not that heavy right now, but the conditions are too muggy overhead, to say the least. If the

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, 3 runs.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, Pitched up, once again just outside off. Ben Duckett comes forward and pushes it towards cover region for no runs. 

Change.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Pitches it up, oon off. Ollie Pope rests it down towards the cover region for no runs. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Sprays fuller, just outside off, angling towards the stump. Ollie Pope plants his front foot and blocks it right under his eyesight. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Pitched up, and outside of. Ollie Pope solidly defends to his front. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Full-length delivery just outside off. Ollie Pope leans towards the delivery and drives it gently towards mid off. 

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Short of a length on off. Ben Duckett prods and defends it down. 

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, ! TOP SHOT! 

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, No run.

Drinks! Time for the first hydration break in this third Test. England have dominated the session thus far as they have maintained to score at a healthy run rate in this first hour or so. Ben Duckett has looked rock-solid and is already into his 40s. The ball hasn't done much of a movement which might trouble the batters big time, or we can say, the Sri Lankan bowlers have been inconsistent with their lines and lengths. But they have managed to break the opening partnership as Lawrence had a tou

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Four!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! That's big!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, 3 runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, On a length and around off, Ollie Pope looks to guide it away but ends up stabbing it towards short covers again.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Fuller and on off, Ollie Pope gets forward and plays a front foot defense towards short covers.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Hard length and around off, Ollie Pope punches it towards deep point for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and outside off, shapes away again, Ollie Pope goes after it and slashes hard but fails to connect.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Hits the length hard and in that channel outside off, shapes away a touch, Ollie Pope offers no shot at it.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Fuller in length and on off again, Ollie Pope this time prods forward and blocks it out.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Pitched up and on off, Ollie Pope looks to drive but losses his bottom hand, fails to get the timing as the ball rolls towards mid off.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, ! Lovely shot!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Hard length and on off, shapes in, Ollie Pope leaves it alone, Dinesh Chandimal dives to stop it but only manages to parry it away allowing a bye. He is having a torrid time behind the stumps here.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, On a length and on leg, Ben Duckett works it around the corner for another run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 2 runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Leg bye.

Ollie Pope, the English skipper walks in at number 3.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, ! IN THE AIR....GONE! Lahiru Kumara draws first blood here! Dan Lawrence's lean patch continues as he goes back for yet another low score in this series.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, MORE! Good aggression from Ben Duckett!

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, ! Thrashed away!

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Pulls his length back this time, on off, Ben Duckett takes a couple of steps forward and blocks it out to the off side.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Pitches it up now, on middle and leg, no real movement on this one, Ben Duckett knocks it down to mid on.

Milan Rathnayake to Dan Lawrence, On a length and on middle, Dan Lawrence nudges it towards mid-wicket for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Nicely played! Milan Rathnayake starts with a cross-seam delivery, full and on off, Ben Duckett presents the full face of his bat and drives it smoothly past mid off, Dhananjaya de Silva from mid on chases after it, puts in a dive forward to push it back inside. Three runs taken.

Milan Rathnayake has been introduced into the attack now. He replaces Asitha Fernando.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, On a length and on middle, Ben Duckett works it wide of mid-wicket for another run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 2 runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, Good-length delivery, shapes in sharply with a bit of an extra bounce, Dan Lawrence gets into an awkward position but flicks it away through mid-wicket for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, Back of a length and around off, Dan Lawrence hops up a bit and dabs it down towards point.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Too straight again! On a length and angles into the leg side, Dan Lawrence nudges it away towards fine leg for a run.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Hits the length hard, on the sixth stump line, this one takes off a bit after hitting the deck, Dan Lawrence watches it through, lifts it his bat and lets it go to the keeper.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Short of a length and around leg, Ben Duckett easily tucks it off his hips towards fine leg for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Asitha Fernando lands this one back of a length, on off, holds its line and skids through as well, Ben Duckett gets a bit hurried but manages well to pat it down to the off side.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Goes fuller again but on the pads this time, Ben Duckett flicks it away nicely but finds short mid-wicket. That was there to be put away.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Keeps it straight, keeps it full, shapes in a touch, Ben Duckett stays in his crease and blocks it out with a straight bat down the pitch.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, Good leave! Kumara lands it on a nagging length, slightly nipping back in after pitching outside off, Dan Lawrence watches the ball closely and opts out as he hangs his bat in the air.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, First runs for Lawrence and he gets a cheer from the spectators. Over the top of the middle, on the back of a length, Dan Lawrence tucks it off the back foot towards deep square leg for a couple of runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Full on the off stump, Ben Duckett taps it towards cover for a quick single.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, ! Now that's a gracious shot!

Oops, that must have hurt Dinesh Chandimal! He has a blow on his right hand lower thumb, as he dives to his right to keep the delivery. The physio is out to have a look. Chamdimal is back on his feet and is ready to keep further. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Lahiru Kumar starts with a couple of slips in place. Starts a bit wayward on the hard length, down leg. Ben Duckett misses to pull. Dinesh Chandimal moves to his right as the ball moves away very late. Does manage to get his right hand at it but the ball deflects off his gloves towards the short fine region.

First change in the inning. Lahiru Kumara joins the attack now.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, At 129 kph, good length, outside off, Dan Lawrence leaves it alone. The ball carries to the keeper with a bit of a lateral movement, but Chandimal manages to collect it well and sharply behind the wickets.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Hard-length delivery outside off, Dan Lawrence lets it go.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, 3 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Hard length at 134 kph, outside off, Ben Duckett weighs on the back foot and mistimes the pull shot along the ground to mid-wicket.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Good length, across off, Ben Duckett pokes at it, looking for a back foot push but gets beaten on the outside edge.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, Similar length, but a bit closer to the body, Ben Duckett hits it across and threads the flick through mid-wicket and mid on. Kamindu Mendis chases the ball from the mid on region and does well to intercept it before the ropes with a slide. He lobs the ball to the converging fielder from mid-wicket. Three taken in the meantime.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, ! Nice shot! Vishwa Fernando misses his line and bowls it full and down leg, Ben Duckett simply flicks it through the mid-wicket and mid on gap for a boundary.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Oopsie! That took off quite late!

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Almost an identical line and length, outside off, Dan Lawrence shoulders arms at this one.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, And again! 

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Corrects his length and line, on the middle and on the good length, Dan Lawrence gets behind the line of the ball and punches it solidly underneath his bat off the back foot.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, WIDE! Sprays it well across and outside the tramline on a length. Wide given.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett,Good-length delivery sliding down leg, Duckett lets it pass.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Asitha hurls this one on a questioning length! Entices the batter to poke at it by bowling it full and in the channel of uncertainty, just outside off. Ben Duckett has a feel for it and prods forward to defend it. Plays it inside the line and gets beaten on the outside edge by a whisker.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, ! Almost chopped on, but gets away with it does Duckett!

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Fuller and around the middle and off, Ben Duckett pushes it firmly to mid on.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Back of a length, fractionally swinging in from middle with the angle, Ben Duckett glances it with soft hands towards square leg.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Swing and a miss! Full and across off, Ben Duckett has to really reach out for it as he extends his arms and slashes hard. Ends up getting beaten on the outside edge.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, There's that questioning line and length! Lands it on the leg stump line and moves it away from the batter around off, on a length, Dan Lawrence attempts for a firm push, but plays inside the line of the ball and gets beaten on the outside edge.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Aims the middle and leg stump line with an inward movement, Dan Lawrence stands upright and glances it straight to square leg who misfields and parries the ball to mid-wicket, but is quick to redeem himself. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, Over the top of off, on a length, and shaping inwards. Ben Duckett waits for it to arrive and tucks it with soft hands to wide mid-wicket and jogs for a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, This one tails in a long way, starts from the middle stump and goes down the leg side on a fullish length. Ben Duckett misses to flick it away and the keeper collects it by bending to his left.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, Vishwa Fernando begins with a couple of slips in place and a gully in position. Hits the deck hard outside off from over the pegs, Ben Duckett punches it off the back foot to the short cover region.

Vishwa Fernando will be bowling from the other end.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Back of a length and on middle, at 129 kph, Dan Lawrence defends it to mid-wicket.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, A streaky way to get underway! On the middle, curving in a shade on a fuller length, Ben Duckett closes the bat's face way early on the flick shot and gets a leading edge to the cover-point region for a quick single.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Play and a miss! Outside off on a hard length, Ben Duckett does not move his feet and tries to slash it hard but misses and gets beaten on the outside edge.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Asitha with two slips and a gully, begins from over the stumps and bowls right on the money!

Done with the pre-match formalities! The conditions are pretty overcast here at the Oval and we are now ready for the final Test of the English summer. Ben Duckett and Dan Lawrence are the two openers for England. Asitha Fernando has the new red cherry in his hand and is raring to go. Let's play...

We are moments away from the start of the game but before that, players from both sides make their way out to the middle and line up for their respective national anthems. It will be Sri Lanka's first followed by the national anthem of England.

PITCH REPORT - Stuart Broad and Mark Butcher are inspecting the deck. Butcher reckons that with overhead conditions being grey, batting might be a bit challenging. Mentions that the groundsmen have cut down the grass to 4mm which is less than the usual county games. Adds that it will be all about using the conditions. Broad joins him and adds that the ball will move here and it is all about seam movement. Says if you are a bowler, you got to hit the hard lengths to generate success. Also adds th

Ollie Pope, the captain of England says that they would have bowled first as well but it will be a nice challenge for them to bat. Adds that he trusts the abilities of Josh Hull who plays his first Test. States that the youngster enjoys every moment and he bowled beautifully in the nets, so looking forward to seeing him in the game. He reckons he has been short of runs but hopes to change that in this match. Ends up saying that the Joe Root is making the best out of his highs and he would lov

Dhananjaya de Silva, the skipper of Sri Lanka says they cannot control the weather and just focus on what they can do and control with while on the field. Informs they are going with 4 regular seamers. Is hopeful that the workload will be shared equally in this Test. Informs Kusal Mendis and Vishwa Fernando come in place of Nishan Madushka and Prabath Jayasuriya.

A big day for 20-year old Josh Hull as he makes his Test debut. Just before the toss, he was presented with the cap by none other than the legendary Andrew Flintoff. 

England (Playing XI) - Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope(C), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith(WK), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Olly Stone, Josh Hull (In place of Matthew Potts and On Debut), Shoaib Bashir. 

Sri Lanka (Playing XI) - Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (In place of Nishan Madushka), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Kamindu Mendis, Milan Rathnayake, Vishwa Fernando (In place of Prabath Jayasuriya), Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando.

TOSS - The coin lands in favour of Dhananjaya de Silva. Sri Lanka have elected to BOWL first for the second time in a row in this series.

We are back!

... SECOND INNINGS ...

England, on the other hand, will be a bit disappointed as they would have hoped for something near or over 400 after the start that they got. However, we have seen them collapse like this earlier in the summer as well. Ollie Pope was the mainstay for the hosts who notched up his 7th hundred in Tests.

Sri Lanka wraps England up for 325 here! They have been pretty much on the money from the start of Day 2 and kept the pressure on the batters. After a forgettable Day 1 where they conceded 221 runs in just 45 overs of play, this has been a remarkable turnaround for them. The pacers did the job excellently here with Milan Rathnayake sitting on top with three wickets while Vishwa Fernando and Lahiru Kumara chipped in with a couple of wickets each. 

Milan Rathnayake to Shoaib Bashir, ! IN THE AIR AND TAKEN! A momentous collapse for England and Sri Lanka have managed to sneak back in the contest after a dismal outing on the first day. Milan Rathnayake bowls it on the back of a length, around off, it springs off the deck a bit and comes high on the batter. Shoaib Bashir clears his front leg and tries to play a wild heave across the line, but as the ball gets heavier on him, he ends up slicing it off the high end of the bat. The bal

Asitha Fernando to Olly Stone, Asitha follows the batter as Stone shuffles outside leg, pitches it outside leg and on the hard length, Olly Stone is cramped up for room and just about manages to tap it to the leg side.

Asitha Fernando to Olly Stone, Six!

Asitha Fernando to Shoaib Bashir, 1 run.

Asitha Fernando to Shoaib Bashir, No run.

Shoaib Bashir is the last man in. This may be the last over before Lunch, but if a wicket does not fall here, the umpires will surely extend this session.

Asitha Fernando to Josh Hull, ! c Dhananjaya de Silva b Asitha Fernando.

Asitha Fernando to Olly Stone, Length ball, outside off, Olly Stone responds with a crisp back foot square cut towards deep point. Jogs for a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, Short and wide of off, Josh Hull swings and misses.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, At off, on a nagging length, Josh Hull swats it away to the mid off region. The fielder at the mentioned position dives to his left and intercepts the ball. 

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, Back of a length, and outside off, Josh Hull eases it to the off side.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, 2 runs.

Vishwa Fernando to Olly Stone, At the pads on a good length, Olly Stone glances it to wide square leg for a quick single.

Vishwa Fernando to Olly Stone, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, 1 run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, 2 runs.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, ! Gets off the mark in style does Olly Stone! Too full and there to be hit, on the middle, Olly Stone strides out for a sweep, gets on his knee and sweeps it nicely along the ground, past square leg for a boundary.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, Pushed through, floated full on the stumps, Olly Stone defends it with a good forward stride.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, Back of a length and wide outside off. Hull lets it be.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, No run.

Josh Hull, the debutant comes out to the middle now.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! IN THE AIR AND TAKEN AGAIN! This time, it's the English skipper, Ollie Pope who tried to take the aggressive route but holes out. Sri Lanka, right back in the game now.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, No run.

Olly Stone is the next man in.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, ! IN THE AIR AND TAKEN! Sri Lankan skipper, DDS strikes now and England have now lost three quick wickets with the tail exposed.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, Full on the middle stump, Ollie Pope drives it to the wide of mid off, and takes a single.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, Short of a length on the pads, this tucked in the square leg region for a single.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, There comes the reverse sweep! Full and on off, Gus Atkinson reverse sweeps off the leading edge. The ball lands behind short third and they cross for the double.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, Tossed up, pushed through on leg, Gus Atkinson tries to push it to the leg side but wears it on the pads.

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, Too full and outside off, Gus Atkinson attempts the expansive cover drive by extending his arms. Finds Angelo Mathews at cover who parries the ball to the deep and allows a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, Beauty! That in-between length, around off, deviating fractionally away from the batter. Gus Atkinson is squared up and gets beaten on the outside edge.

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, Peach!

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, On the leg stump line, at the pads, Gus Atkinson blocks it off the back foot.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Across off on a length, Ollie Pope slashes it away to deep point for a single.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Gus Atkinson, the centurion from the previous Test walks out to bat now.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, 1 run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Chris Woakes, ! c Milan Rathnayake b Dhananjaya de Silva.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Chris Woakes, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Hard-length delivery on off, shaping it away. Ollie Pope goes for the cut but gets beaten on the outer edge. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Chris Woakes, On a length on leg and middle. Chris Woakes rocks back and hops a bit to tuck it towards right of the short mid-wicket fielder for a single. 

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, Fullish, and just outside off. Ollie Pope punches it toward wide of long off and gets a couple of runs. 

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Chris Woakes, 1 run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Chris Woakes comes out to the middle now. We will see some spin now as skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva brings himself into the attack.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, ! c Kusal Mendis b Vishwa Fernando.

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Pitched up, on off. Jamie Smith drives it towards the cover region. 

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Play and a miss! 

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Pitched up, on off, shaping away. Jamie Smith lunges and slightly opens the face of the bat while performing the drive to guide the ball towards deep cover-point. A couple of runs. taken in between. 

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Vishwa Fernando, the southpaw of Sri Lanka, comes from 'over the wicket and bowls fuller on middle and off. Jamie Smith prods and defends it towards the cover region. 

Drinks! Well, fair to say, the Sri Lankans have come out much improved as compared to the first day. But, luck hasn't quite been with them. They have done everything right, by bowling fuller and allowing the ball to curve and deviate. A lot of inside edges and close calls prove that the English batters tried to unsettle the bowlers and negate the swing. Harry Brook looked uncomfortable and tried to go aggressive and lost his wicket.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, ! EDGED, GAP AND FOUR! 

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Swinging down the leg side, on the back of a length, Ollie Pope goes for a leg glance but misses. The ball brushes off the thigh pad and carries to the keeper.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Four!

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Leg bye.

Vishwa Fernando (7-0-29-0) has been brought into the attack from the Vauxhall end. He replaces Milan Rathnayake.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and around off, Ollie Pope stabs it down on the ground, point dives to his left but fails to stop it and the batters get a double.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Length again, on middle, straightens a bit, Ollie Pope looks to work it away but gets a bit squared up as it pops up off the leading edge and lands well before covers.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Good length and on off, Jamie Smith steers it through point for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, ! Fortuitous!

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and on middle, Ollie Pope keeps it out to the leg side.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Full again and around off now, Ollie Pope steers it away towards gully.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, EDGED AND ! Milan Rathnayake lands this back of a length and just outside off, Ollie Pope tries to cut it away, but gets an outside edge, and can you guess where this one goes? Yes, exactly between that gap between the wide first slip and gully for a boundary.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, A bit fuller this time, on middle, Ollie Pope watches it through and blocks it out on te pitch.

Milan Rathnayake to Jamie Smith, On a length and around off, Jamie Smith guides it towards deep point for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Back of a length and angling into the body of the batter, Jamie Smith pulls it away towards fine leg for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Good stop! Overpitched and on off, Jamie Smith drives it away firmly wide of mid off, DDS dives to his right and makes a fine one-handed stop.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Short of a length and on off, angles in, Jamie Smith stays back and blocks it out.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, On a length and on off, Jamie Smith taps it out toward short covers. Lahiru Kumara is consistently blowing on good lines now.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, BEATEN! Lahiru Kumara serves this full and around off, nips away slightly, but it is enough to beat the outside edge of Smith who goes for the big drive.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Lahiru Kumara bowls this on a good length and on off, Jamie Smith pats it away on the back foot as it rolls towards mid off.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Hard length and outside off, Jamie Smith opens the bat face and steers it through point for a run and gets off the mark.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Back of a length and on off, Jamie Smith hops up a bit and keeps it out to the off side.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Pitched up and on the sixth stump line, Jamie Smith strides out and pushes it towards short covers.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Pulls his length back a bit, on off, Jamie Smith stays back and blocks it out.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Full again and on off, shapes away a touch, Jamie Smith tries to play it but gets an outside edge along the ground towards gully.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Fuller and angling into the pads, Ollie Pope flicks it through square leg for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Jamie Smith, No run.

Jamie Smith walks in at number 6 for England. Joins his fellow Surrey man and his skipper, Pope.

Milan Rathnayake to Jamie Smith, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, ! BRILLIANTLY TAKEN! Milan Rathnayake gets another important breakthrough for Sri Lanka.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Goes fuller now, on middle and off, Harry Brook steers it towards gully.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Sign of aggression again! Back of a length and outside off, shapes away, Harry Brook charges down the track and throws his bat at it, but fails to connect.

Not really sure, but Dhananjaya de Silva is having a word with the on-field umpire.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Milan Rathnayake hits the length hard and around off, nips away a bit, Harry Brook plays well inside the line of it and the ball goes through to the keeper.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Overpitched and just outside off, Ollie Pope reaches out for it and drills it away, the fielder at short covers gets a hand to it to reduce the momentum. A half-stop you can say. The batters crosses for a double.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! Goes through that gap again! Sri Lanka needs to rethink their slip positions.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, That's a peach of a delivery!

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, An appeal for LBW but 'No' says the umpire, Joel Wilson!

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Fuller and with a bit of a movement at off, Ollie Pope responds with a solid front foot defence.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Gentle outswing outside off, Harry Brook eases it off the thickish outside edge to th second slip.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Hard length again, outside off, Pope punches it to cover-point.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Shade full and around off, Ollie Pope plants his front leg ahead and drives it straight to cover.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Four!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Outside off, length, Harry Brook looks to cut it away but is a bit too early on the shot, and almost chops it on getting a thick inside edge. Kicks the ball to the cover region in the end.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Rathnayake brings the angle much closer this time around as he sees Pope charging down again. Ollie Pope manages to clip it across along the ground to deep mid-wicket for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, On the back of a length, outside off, Ollie Pope slashes it hard but finds the fielder at cover.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, ! Oh, what a shot that is! Milan Rathnayake goes full and on the off stump line, with a gentle outward deviation, Ollie Pope gets his dancing shoes on and skips down the track, and whips it across the line through the mid-wicket region for a cracking boundary.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Good length shaping away from outside off, left alone.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 'Two, two. two' is the call and they will get it! Excellent running between the wickets by the two! Back of a length, on the stumps, Ollie Pope walks across a couple of steps to the off stump and nudges it with soft hands towards deep mid-wicket for a couple of runs. 

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Over the top of the middle, on the length, Harry Brook gets behind the line and punches it to wide mid on for a quick single.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Holds on the off stump channel does Asitha Fernando, pulls his length fractionally and it skids quickly off the pitch. Harry Brook dead bats at it and lets it pass.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Length ball, outside off, Pope drives it towards deep cover for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, EDGED AND ! 

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, ! Dear, oh dear! Asitha Fernando has put down an absolute sitter! Just about sums up Sri Lanka's condition in this series. That should have been taken!

A quick change for Sri Lanka as Milan Rathnayake joins the attack. 

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Outswing, on a length, outside off, Ollie Pope slashes it with an upright stance through cover-point for an easy couple of runs. Lahiru Kumara does well to do the mop up work running and sliding to his right from deep point. Saves two for his side.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, On a fuller length and away from the off stump. Pope is invited to drive, and he looks to play without footwork and is well beaten on the outside edge.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Over the top of the off peg, on the length, Harry Brook walks down to the track and guides it behind the square towards deep point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Some movement again! Outside off on the back of a length, it deviates further away from the batter and Brook leaves.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Asitha gets a genuine outswing from outside off on a fuller length, Harry Brook plants his front foot but decides to not have a go at it.

Asitha Fernando will be bowling from the other end. 

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! The umpire raises his finger but Harry Brook thinks otherwise and goes upstairs straightaway!

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, First runs of Day 2 for England! Back of a length to follow again, around off, Harry Brook punches it with soft hands towards deep backward point for a couple of runs.

In all readiness for the action on Day 2 to begin! The two umpires stride out to the middle, followed by the Lankans as they take their positions. Harry Brook and Ollie Pope are on their way to the crease to resume their innings for England. Lahiru Kumara will get the job to start the proceeding for Sri Lanka. Let's play...

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, Kumara starts from over the stumps, and lands it on the money, around off and nipping back into the batter. Harry Brook hops on the back foot to punch it to the off side and gets a thick leading edge towards wide gully where Pathum Nissanka dives to his right and intercepts the ball.

JUST IN - England fans have received disappointing news as fast bowler Mark Wood will be missing the rest of 2024. Medical scans revealed he has a bone stress injury in his right elbow, which he noticed was getting stiffer and more uncomfortable during the Test series against the West Indies earlier this summer. He also had an injury on his right thigh in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford, which is being monitored and managed. As a result, he will miss England's upcoming Test to

On the other hand, Sri Lanka has gone all out with a pace-heavy attack, fielding four main seamers. They have only Kamindu Mendis and captain DDS to offer spin options. However, the big question is whether the spinners can create breakthroughs once the ball gets older, or if the short-ball strategy will be enough to challenge England’s lineup. Despite the bowlers getting significant swing on this pitch, they have struggled to contain England’s batters so far. The Lankans will need to rethink

England is in a comfortable position, thanks to strong performances from their top-order batsmen. For the first time in this series, the top order has managed to provide a solid start, despite the bowler-friendly conditions. Ben Duckett was in sensational form, scoring a quickfire 86 off 79 balls, playing aggressively and putting pressure back on Sri Lanka’s bowlers. Local favorite Ollie Pope, who had struggled in the previous games, is still unbeaten and has already reached his century—a mu

Hello and a very warm welcome to all our viewers joining us for the buildup to Day 2 of this third and final Test match between England and Sri Lanka at The Oval, London. Unfortunately, Day 1 saw limited action due to bad light and some light drizzle. Today, the weather looks cloudy with a slight chance of rain, but we’re hoping for a full day of cricket. 

... DAY 2, SESSION 1 ...

Right then, that’s a wrap from Day 1 of this final Test match. Coming to Day 2, England, buoyed by their performance, will be eager to capitalize on their momentum and extend their score further. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka faces the challenge of regrouping overnight, aiming to return with renewed determination. The action will resume for Day 2 on Saturday, September 7th, with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 10 am GMT. Until then, cheers!

Cut to the final session, the situation remained identically struggling for the Sri Lankans. Pope, well settled, mounted a brisk hundred and looked totally unfettered. But, the light conditions didn't permit the play to continue any further. It was a start-stop kind of a day at The Oval and was dwarfed with only 44.1 overs bowled. So, whom does the first day belong to? Any guesses? Do we need to tell? Jokes apart, England has asserted its dominance well and truly and has left Sri Lanka to searc

But the play was interrupted as rain and bad light played a spoilsport. After a delay of nearly two hours, play finally resumed, though the first session was abbreviated. Pope and Duckett navigated the testing conditions unbothered, accumulating runs by playing on the merit, maintaining a steady run rate of around 5 runs per over, courtesy of strictly average and wayward bowling. Fell to his own aggression, Ben Duckett, yet again missed his well-deserved century, but again, the Lankan bowlers c

Despite conditions that should have favoured seam bowling due to the dampness around, Sri Lanka's pace attack looked surprisingly defensive. They struggled to find their rhythm, rarely troubling the batters with challenging lines and lengths. Nonetheless, Lahiru Kumar managed to break through, claiming the first wicket for Sri Lanka midway through the opening session. Typically, overcast skies and residual moisture on the pitch create challenging conditions for batters, offering bowlers enhan

The rain-interrupted Day 1 draws to an unfortunate close. The day began under muggy, overcast skies, conditions that persisted throughout. Sri Lanka won the toss and inserted the hosts to bat first. England's openers set a steady pace in the first hour, with Duckett displaying notable comfort at the crease. In contrast, Lawrence struggled, and his vulnerability outside off-stump was exposed, and he failed to reach double digits. True to their 'Bazball' brand of cricket, England maintained a br

UPDATE - 5.32 pm GMT - And, the inevitable has happened, folks! Considering the deteriorating light conditions at The Oval, Stumps have been officially called for Day 1. Not a pleasing news by any means, but it is mandatory to follow the rule books of the sport. 

UPDATE - 5.11 pm GMT - The conditions don't look quite promising at The Oval. It is heavily overcast, which has persistently been the case for the whole day so far. On the other hand, Australia, the probable favourites in the series, convincingly defeated Scotland in the second T20I at Edinburgh, and clinched the 3-match T20I series, leading by 2-0 now. Australia first notched up a whopping 196, which included a blistering century from Josh Inglis off just 49 deliveries. And while defending th

UPDATE - 4.49 pm GMT - Uh, oh! It was inevitable, wasn't it? It has gotten a bit darker with all the floodlights glittering now. The umpire Chris Gaffaney takes the light meter out and after examining the readings, he requests the players to walk off the field and the crowd does not really like it as the park echoes with their boos. Fair to say, not an ideal condition to continue. Well, Sri Lanka would not be too displeased with this as they really need to regroup and restructure their stra

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, False stroke!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! HUNDRED FOR POPE! 7th Test century for him and his first at the Oval!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Pitched up and outside off again, Ollie Pope once again reaches out for it and this time drills it through the gap at covers for a couple of runs. Pope is on 99 now!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, He is not able to get away here! Good length and on off, shapes in, Ollie Pope moves across to flick it away but misses and gets hit on the pads. 

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Full and outside off, Ollie Pope reaches out for it but mistimes his drive towards short covers.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Back of a length and outside off, Harry Brook cuts it away towards deep point for a single. Pope's back on strike now in his nervous 90s!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Length again, on middle, Ollie Pope clips it away towards short mid-wicket. He will have to wait a bit more.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Halt! That must have stung Pope really hard on the elbow.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! The skipper is in hurry now to get to the milestone!

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, Fuller and around off, Harry Brook opens the face of his bat and drives it through cover-point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! Gets it away now! Back of a length and on middle, does not bounce that much, Ollie Pope gets a bit stuck in his crease but still manages to swipe it away, it races through the practice pitches and to the deep mid-wicket fence for a boundary. Pope moves into the 90s now!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Massive appeal for caught behind, but turned down! The keeper convinces his skipper, DDS to take the review.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, BEATEN!

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Back of a length and around off, Harry Brook dabs it wide of point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, ! Harry Brook joins the party now but in streaky fashion! Asitha Fernando begins with a good-length delivery, on off, Harry Brook uses his feet to push it away but gets an outside edge that goes between the second slip and gully for a boundary. A third slip and it would have gone straight into the hands.

Asitha Fernando to share the attack from the other end.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Goes full again, on off, angling in, Ollie Pope taps it out towards short covers. 6 runs off the over then!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Overpitched and just outside off, Ollie Pope drills it out straight to short covers.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and outside off, Ollie Pope cuts it away towards deep point for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! Just over!

We are back for the final session of the first day. The two umpires Joel Wilson and Chris Gaffaney walk out to the middle. The Sri Lankan players walk down the stairs to take their fielding positions. Ollie Pope, eyeing for his 7th Test hundred, along with Harry Brook to resume their innings with the bat. The floodlights are illuminating and it remains to be overcast out there. Lahiru Kumara to continue after the break. And, here we go...

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Lahiru Kumara starts with a back-of-a-length delivery, on of, Ollie Pope looks to punch it away but bunts it down on the ground.

... DAY 1, SESSION 3 ...

After the rain, the ball swung much more than the prior session but the bowlers failed to put much pressure on the batters. After the loss of their second wicket, Pope and Joe Root handled the situation a bit passively, but they made sure to keep the scoreboard ticking. The local boy, Pope also accomplished his 14th half-century in the Test cricket format. Everything was going well for the Three Lions, but the compilation of the change of bringing Lahiru Kumara back into the attack in the 39th o

TEA, DAY 1 - Session Summary - 25 overs, 118 runs, 2 wickets. England would be mighty pleased with the score they have managed to put on. The clash resumed late after the Lunch break, because of some slight drizzle. The groundsmen have done a fabulous job of draining the logged water pretty quickly. Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope started their strands from where they ended. Well, the runs were coming thick, and especially Duckett went hard on the Lankan pacers, and caressed some scoops and cuts to

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, A beauty to end the over and the session! Asitha Fernando lands this on a good length, just on off, nips away a shy bit, Harry Brook gets drawn forward as the ball zips past the outside edge. THAT WILL BE TEA ON DAY 2!

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Pitches it up a bit, on middle, Harry Brook fends it down the pitch.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, On a length and on middle, Harry Brook nudges it towards mid-wicket.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 3 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Full and on off, Ollie Pope prods out and blocks it out.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, No run.

Harry Brook walks in at number 5.

Lahiru Kumara to Joe Root, ! TAKEN! This is a massive wicket for Sri Lanka! Lahiru Kumara gets his second and gets the big fish as well. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Fuller and on off, Ollie Pope taps it just wide of point for a quick single.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Good length from 'over the wicket, on off, angles in, Ollie Pope stays back and blocks it out.

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, Overpitched and around off, Joe Root strides out and drives it nicely, but Kusal Mendis at cover-point dives to his right to save the boundary. Good fielding!

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, Fuller in length and on off, Joe Root strides out and blocks it out solidly.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and around off, Ollie Pope dabs it through point for a single. That also brings up the 50-run partnership between these two batters.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! 'Catch it is the call, but this one goes away! Asitha Fernando bangs this short but way outside off, Ollie Pope this time goes after it, does really well to reach for it and slices it away towards the deep point fence for a boundary.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Back of a length and outside off, shaping away, Ollie Pope thinks about slashing at it but decides against it in the end.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Hard length, on middle, angling in, Joe Root nudges it wide of deep square leg for a brace.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Pulls his length back now, on the sixth stump line, Joe Root stays back and guides it towards gully.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Fuller and on off, Joe Root drives it away straight towards short covers.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Good length and outside off, tempts the batter, but Joe Root moves a bit forward and leaves it alone.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and outside off, Ollie Pope cuts it away towards deep point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, Back of a length and around off, Joe Root guides it to point.

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, Goes fuller again, on off, Joe Root strides out and dabs it down towards gully.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, On a length and around off, Ollie Pope steers it wide of point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Very full again, on off, Joe Root plays the full-blooded drive but finds mid off.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, ! Deft touch!

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, ! Excellent shot! Angelo Mathews goes full and just around off, Ollie Pope leans on to his drive nicely, and with the full face of the bat creams it through covers for a boundary.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Back-to-back maidens from Milan Rathnayake! Short of a length and around off, Joe Root dabs it down towards point.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Sticks to his fuller length, on middle now and angles in, Joe Root steps across and knocks it towards mid on.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Overpitched and on off, Joe Root drills it hard down the pitch, but Milan Rathnayake does well to stop it on his follow-through.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Full again and on off, angles in this time, Joe Root stays back in his crease and blocks it out.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Good-length delivery around off, shaping away, Joe Root lets it go to the keeper.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, A bit of hesitation between the two batters but they cross over. Length-delivery around off, Joe Root taps it to the cover-point region and scampers to the other end for a single.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Attacks the stumps does Mathews and bowls it full and around off, Joe Root flicks it to mid on.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Angelo Mathews hurls it on the back of a length, and keeps the line outside off, Joe Root lets it go alone.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, Mathews starts off with a slip in place, bowls it on the back of a length, tailing away outside off, Ollie Pope punches it off the back foot through cover-point for an easy single.

.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, On the fifth stump line, on the length, Joe Root covers his defence and punches it off the back foot to the off side. This is the only second maiden over of the day so far.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Straight and full, aiming the off stump, Joe Root gets a good stride forward and respect the ball with a solid defence.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Closer to the off peg, on a length, Joe Root gets behind the line and defends it to the strip.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Gets that away shape does Milan Rathnayake, fuller and outside off, Joe Root watches the ball closely, prods ahead but leaves it alone.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Vishwa Fernando is struggling big time with his lengths here. Again, bowls it down the leg. Root lets it go.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Hurls it on the back of a length at the pads, Joe Root, with ease, glances it off the back foot to deep square leg for a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Wayward down leg, Joe Root lets it pass. 

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Shorter in length again but down leg, Root lets it go behind to the keeper.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Back of a length, outside off, Ollie Pope cuts it past backward point for a single.

.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, A questioning over from Rathnayake! Back to bowling on around off with a hint of an away movement on a good length. Joe Root has a feel for it and positions himself to attempt the square cut but it leaves the right hander with the angle and beats him up.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Couldn't hold onto that enticing line does Milan Rathnayake as he hurls it on the pads now. Joe Root misses to glance it away and gets rapped on the front thigh pad.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, And again! That inviting line on a length, with an away movement, Joe Root again pokes at it and gets beaten on the outside edge.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Woah! Beauty!

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Length-delivery, outside off, Ollie Pope cuts it behind square towards deep point for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, ! Width and Pope pounces on it gleefully! Milan Rathnayake pitches it well outside off, it nips away a shade after pitching, Ollie Pope with a steady head position, extends his levers and slashes it hard through covers for a boundary.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Wayward, and down leg, Ollie Pope wrists the glace towards deep backward square leg for an easy single.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Hits the nagging length, around middle, and angling on off, Joe Root rides on the bounce and guides it past point for a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Across off on a length, Joe Root goes back and attempts the square cut but ends up getting a thickish inside edge towards the second slip on one bounce.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Fractionally on a good length, around middle and leg, Joe Root walks across a couple of steps and tucks it along the ground with soft hands towards deep square leg for a couple of runs.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Good length a shade outside off, at 130 kph, Root covers the line with a front foot stride and defends it to covers.

Vishwa Fernando comes back into the attack now.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Much better this time from Rathnayake! Closer to the body, on middle and full in length, Ollie Pope replies with a confident front foot defence.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Again, Milan Rathnayake angles it on the middle and leg, on the back of a length, Ollie Pope reads it well, hops on the back foot and tucks it with softer hands to deep square leg for a couple of runs.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Full, but down the leg stump line, Joe Root tilts forward and flicks it to deep fine for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Drinks! Well, the Bazballers have maintained their tag wholeheartedly so far as they have hovered constantly around 5 runs per over. Ben Duckett though, fell for his own aggression and missed his century, yet again. But despite the wicket, Sri Lankan bowlers haven't been able to stem the flow of runs. 

Lahiru Kumara to Joe Root, Back of a length and on off, Joe Root stabs it in front of covers for one.

Lahiru Kumara to Joe Root, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Joe Root, ! Just wide!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, On a length and on middle, Ollie Pope works it away through backward square leg for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Four!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! Streaky and the bowler cannot believe it!

Joe Root walks in at number 4 for England.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, ! c Dinesh Chandimal b Milan Rathnayake.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Back of a length and on middle and off, Ben Duckett stays in his crease and pats it down the pitch.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Fuller once again, on the sixth stump line, Ollie Pope uses his feet this time and knocks it towards covers, he scampers across for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Change.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, A huge shot for LBW, but the umpire shakes his head! This one looks close and Dhananjaya de Silva goes for the review.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 2 runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, ! BOOM! The other way now!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Goes for it again, but misses!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Short of a length and around off, Ben Duckett pulls it away wide of deep mid-wicket for a brace. The runs are coming thick and fast now.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, ! Right from the middle this time!

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Hard length and around off again, Ben Duckett stays in his crease and muscles it away through covers, deep point runs to his right to collect it while the batters run three.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Digs it in the surface again, outside off, angles away, Ben Duckett initially winds up for the pull but withdraws from the shot in the end.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Back of a length and around off, Ben Duckett punches it towards short covers.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Full again and on middle, Ben Duckett drills it out towards mid off.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Full and around off, Ollie Pope pushes it towards short extra covers for a single, the fielder throws it at the bowler's end but misses. Pope wants the overthrow, but Duckett has gone a long way, so they settle for one.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Overpitched and on middle, Ollie Pope drills it down the pitch and wide of mid on for a run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! Fine shot!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, ! Not where he intended to play that, but gets the reward!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Back of a length and around off, Ben Duckett stays back and fends it away.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Fuller in length, angling on the pads, Ollie Pope flicks it with his wrists and along the ground toward deep backward square leg for a couple of runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Four!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, On a length just outside off. Ben Duckett rides the bounce and cuts it a bit late towards deep third man and gets a couple. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Good-length delivery on middle and leg. Ollie Pope clips it towards deep square leg and gets a comfortable single. 

Slight halt! Ollie Pope looks in a bit of pain here. He is not wearing any arm guard and the ball hits him hard on the left elbow. The physio is in to check on him. Pope is good to continue here.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Back of a length just outside off, shaping in. Ollie Pope rides the bounce and pushes it towards the cover region. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Good-length delivery on off, shaping in. Ollie Pope brings the full face of his willow to defend it down but gets nicked on the inner edge and the ball rolls towards deep fine leg for a single. 

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Full and just outside off, shaping it away from the stump. Ollie Pope shoulder arms the delivery. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, ! That one traveled like a bullet! Hard-length delivery, angling it away from the left-hander, away from the off stump. Ben Duckett frees his arms and punches it hard through the cover region for four more runs. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Length delivery on middle. Ollie Pope tucks it towards deep square leg for a single. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, 1 run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, 2 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Hard-length delivery outside off, around seventh stump. Ollie Pope cuts this one towards deep point and gets a comfortable single. 

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Four!

Vishwa Fernando to share the attack.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Good-length delivery on middle and off. Ben Duckett camps back and blocks it from the inner part of his willow towards the square leg region. 

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 3 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Asitha Fernando comes 'over the wicket and bowls on a good length on middle. Ben Duckett bunts it towards backward square leg region and gets a single. 

All set for the post-Lunch session to begin! The players are out in the field. Sri Lankan fielders take their respective fielding positions. Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope to resume their innings with the bat for England.

... DAY 1, SESSION 2 ...

UPDATE - 1.52 pm GMT - We will have an extra 30 minutes of play, which, of course, largely depends on the light conditions as the day progresses. Also, Tea will be taken at 4.10 pm GMT. And only if the conditions permit, the play can be stretched max up to 6.30 pm GMT. 

UPDATE - 1.41 pm GMT - Thank you for being so optimistic and patient, folks! It looks like the rain has stopped for now and the covers are coming off. The ground staff is working hard so that there's no more delay in the resumption. And more pleasing news, the play will resume at 2.10 pm GMT, which is about roughly 30 minutes or so from now. Let's hope that there are no further interruptions and we at least get some good action on Day 1.

UPDATE - 1.16 pm GMT - Well, we have nothing new to update as the situations persist to remain gloomy and rainy. On a brighter note, the second T20I between Scotland and Australia is finally getting underway as it got delayed due to foggy conditions in Edinburgh. Scotland won the toss and decided to field first! You can simply switch the tabs and follow that game for now as we await any positive news from The Oval.

While we wait for play to resume, there's more great news from the 2024 Paralympics for India! Praveen Kumar has secured gold in the Men's High Jump T64 event, bringing India’s gold medal count to 6. The overall medal tally now stands at 26, including 9 silvers and 11 bronze. This is already India's best-ever Paralympic performance, and with a few more events still to come, there's hope for even more medals to add to the tally. Currently, China leads the event with 76 gold medals while Great

UPDATE - 12.34 pm GMT - The conditions remain dark overhead and it continues to rain in London as we speak. The pitch and the squares are covered under white sheets and the waiting game continues. Stay tuned for further updates.

UPDATE - 12.20 pm GMT - Ideally, the second session should have started by now as the allotted 40 minutes for Lunch break have passed now. But, unfortunately, the conditions haven't improved one bit and it hasn't stopped raining. We will probably see a 'delay of an unknown length' as mentioned on-air by Ian Ward. Stick around for further updates.

England as usual have been pretty aggressive with the run-scoring and Ben Duckett is leading the charge. He has already notched up his half-century in quick time, and will be disappointed that his momentum has been halted due to uncontrollable factors. Ollie Pope has also played his shots since coming onto bat and both of them looked in good touch. Lahiru Kumara was the lone wicket-taker for the visitors in this session, but this break now gives them enough time to come up with some differen

Winning the toss, Sri Lanka decided to bowl first under gloomy and overcast conditions hoping their pacers would get good help. However, that was not quite the case as there wasn't much movement, and the visitors were quite inconsistent with their line and lengths as well. They went past the edges on a few occasions but didn't really had anything to show until Dan Lawrence got into an awkward position and gifted his wicket away.

SESSION SUMMARY - 76 runs and 1 wicket in 15 overs! Well, if you are thinking how only 15 overs have been bowled in the first session, it is because of the mixture of bad light with rain. The umpires in the hopes of the conditions getting better have decided to take an early Lunch on Day 1.

UPDATE - 11.35 am GMT - We have an update and it is not a promising one, folks! The drizzle has now turned into proper showers and an early Lunch will be taken at 11.40 am GMT. 

UPDATE - 11.32 am GMT - As mentioned by Ian Ward on air, it's going to be a 'rancid day'. The radar shows that the conditions might even get worse in the upcoming hours as there's a huge and thick cloud cover hovering around South London which might bring showers. As of now, it is not a heavy drizzle but more importantly, the play won't resume until the light conditions get improved. Please stick around for further updates.

UPDATE - 11.21 am GMT - Uh, oh! The light meter is out and unfortunately, the umpires have deemed that the light has deteriorated. There's more artificial light as compared to natural light which is not an ideal condition to continue with the play. The players are now walking off the field as there's a slight drizzle as well out there. The white sheets are being brought in now to cover the strip. It's not that heavy right now, but the conditions are too muggy overhead, to say the least. If the

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, 3 runs.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, Pitched up, once again just outside off. Ben Duckett comes forward and pushes it towards cover region for no runs. 

Change.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Pitches it up, oon off. Ollie Pope rests it down towards the cover region for no runs. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Sprays fuller, just outside off, angling towards the stump. Ollie Pope plants his front foot and blocks it right under his eyesight. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Pitched up, and outside of. Ollie Pope solidly defends to his front. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Full-length delivery just outside off. Ollie Pope leans towards the delivery and drives it gently towards mid off. 

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Short of a length on off. Ben Duckett prods and defends it down. 

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, ! TOP SHOT! 

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, No run.

Drinks! Time for the first hydration break in this third Test. England have dominated the session thus far as they have maintained to score at a healthy run rate in this first hour or so. Ben Duckett has looked rock-solid and is already into his 40s. The ball hasn't done much of a movement which might trouble the batters big time, or we can say, the Sri Lankan bowlers have been inconsistent with their lines and lengths. But they have managed to break the opening partnership as Lawrence had a tou

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Four!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! That's big!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, 3 runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, On a length and around off, Ollie Pope looks to guide it away but ends up stabbing it towards short covers again.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Fuller and on off, Ollie Pope gets forward and plays a front foot defense towards short covers.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Hard length and around off, Ollie Pope punches it towards deep point for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and outside off, shapes away again, Ollie Pope goes after it and slashes hard but fails to connect.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Hits the length hard and in that channel outside off, shapes away a touch, Ollie Pope offers no shot at it.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Fuller in length and on off again, Ollie Pope this time prods forward and blocks it out.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Pitched up and on off, Ollie Pope looks to drive but losses his bottom hand, fails to get the timing as the ball rolls towards mid off.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, ! Lovely shot!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Hard length and on off, shapes in, Ollie Pope leaves it alone, Dinesh Chandimal dives to stop it but only manages to parry it away allowing a bye. He is having a torrid time behind the stumps here.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, On a length and on leg, Ben Duckett works it around the corner for another run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 2 runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Leg bye.

Ollie Pope, the English skipper walks in at number 3.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, ! IN THE AIR....GONE! Lahiru Kumara draws first blood here! Dan Lawrence's lean patch continues as he goes back for yet another low score in this series.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, MORE! Good aggression from Ben Duckett!

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, ! Thrashed away!

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Pulls his length back this time, on off, Ben Duckett takes a couple of steps forward and blocks it out to the off side.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Pitches it up now, on middle and leg, no real movement on this one, Ben Duckett knocks it down to mid on.

Milan Rathnayake to Dan Lawrence, On a length and on middle, Dan Lawrence nudges it towards mid-wicket for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Nicely played! Milan Rathnayake starts with a cross-seam delivery, full and on off, Ben Duckett presents the full face of his bat and drives it smoothly past mid off, Dhananjaya de Silva from mid on chases after it, puts in a dive forward to push it back inside. Three runs taken.

Milan Rathnayake has been introduced into the attack now. He replaces Asitha Fernando.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, On a length and on middle, Ben Duckett works it wide of mid-wicket for another run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 2 runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, Good-length delivery, shapes in sharply with a bit of an extra bounce, Dan Lawrence gets into an awkward position but flicks it away through mid-wicket for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, Back of a length and around off, Dan Lawrence hops up a bit and dabs it down towards point.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Too straight again! On a length and angles into the leg side, Dan Lawrence nudges it away towards fine leg for a run.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Hits the length hard, on the sixth stump line, this one takes off a bit after hitting the deck, Dan Lawrence watches it through, lifts it his bat and lets it go to the keeper.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Short of a length and around leg, Ben Duckett easily tucks it off his hips towards fine leg for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Asitha Fernando lands this one back of a length, on off, holds its line and skids through as well, Ben Duckett gets a bit hurried but manages well to pat it down to the off side.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Goes fuller again but on the pads this time, Ben Duckett flicks it away nicely but finds short mid-wicket. That was there to be put away.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Keeps it straight, keeps it full, shapes in a touch, Ben Duckett stays in his crease and blocks it out with a straight bat down the pitch.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, Good leave! Kumara lands it on a nagging length, slightly nipping back in after pitching outside off, Dan Lawrence watches the ball closely and opts out as he hangs his bat in the air.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, First runs for Lawrence and he gets a cheer from the spectators. Over the top of the middle, on the back of a length, Dan Lawrence tucks it off the back foot towards deep square leg for a couple of runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Full on the off stump, Ben Duckett taps it towards cover for a quick single.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, ! Now that's a gracious shot!

Oops, that must have hurt Dinesh Chandimal! He has a blow on his right hand lower thumb, as he dives to his right to keep the delivery. The physio is out to have a look. Chamdimal is back on his feet and is ready to keep further. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Lahiru Kumar starts with a couple of slips in place. Starts a bit wayward on the hard length, down leg. Ben Duckett misses to pull. Dinesh Chandimal moves to his right as the ball moves away very late. Does manage to get his right hand at it but the ball deflects off his gloves towards the short fine region.

First change in the inning. Lahiru Kumara joins the attack now.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, At 129 kph, good length, outside off, Dan Lawrence leaves it alone. The ball carries to the keeper with a bit of a lateral movement, but Chandimal manages to collect it well and sharply behind the wickets.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Hard-length delivery outside off, Dan Lawrence lets it go.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, 3 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Hard length at 134 kph, outside off, Ben Duckett weighs on the back foot and mistimes the pull shot along the ground to mid-wicket.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Good length, across off, Ben Duckett pokes at it, looking for a back foot push but gets beaten on the outside edge.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, Similar length, but a bit closer to the body, Ben Duckett hits it across and threads the flick through mid-wicket and mid on. Kamindu Mendis chases the ball from the mid on region and does well to intercept it before the ropes with a slide. He lobs the ball to the converging fielder from mid-wicket. Three taken in the meantime.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, ! Nice shot! Vishwa Fernando misses his line and bowls it full and down leg, Ben Duckett simply flicks it through the mid-wicket and mid on gap for a boundary.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Oopsie! That took off quite late!

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Almost an identical line and length, outside off, Dan Lawrence shoulders arms at this one.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, And again! 

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Corrects his length and line, on the middle and on the good length, Dan Lawrence gets behind the line of the ball and punches it solidly underneath his bat off the back foot.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, WIDE! Sprays it well across and outside the tramline on a length. Wide given.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett,Good-length delivery sliding down leg, Duckett lets it pass.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Asitha hurls this one on a questioning length! Entices the batter to poke at it by bowling it full and in the channel of uncertainty, just outside off. Ben Duckett has a feel for it and prods forward to defend it. Plays it inside the line and gets beaten on the outside edge by a whisker.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, ! Almost chopped on, but gets away with it does Duckett!

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Fuller and around the middle and off, Ben Duckett pushes it firmly to mid on.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Back of a length, fractionally swinging in from middle with the angle, Ben Duckett glances it with soft hands towards square leg.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Swing and a miss! Full and across off, Ben Duckett has to really reach out for it as he extends his arms and slashes hard. Ends up getting beaten on the outside edge.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, There's that questioning line and length! Lands it on the leg stump line and moves it away from the batter around off, on a length, Dan Lawrence attempts for a firm push, but plays inside the line of the ball and gets beaten on the outside edge.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Aims the middle and leg stump line with an inward movement, Dan Lawrence stands upright and glances it straight to square leg who misfields and parries the ball to mid-wicket, but is quick to redeem himself. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, Over the top of off, on a length, and shaping inwards. Ben Duckett waits for it to arrive and tucks it with soft hands to wide mid-wicket and jogs for a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, This one tails in a long way, starts from the middle stump and goes down the leg side on a fullish length. Ben Duckett misses to flick it away and the keeper collects it by bending to his left.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, Vishwa Fernando begins with a couple of slips in place and a gully in position. Hits the deck hard outside off from over the pegs, Ben Duckett punches it off the back foot to the short cover region.

Vishwa Fernando will be bowling from the other end.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Back of a length and on middle, at 129 kph, Dan Lawrence defends it to mid-wicket.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, A streaky way to get underway! On the middle, curving in a shade on a fuller length, Ben Duckett closes the bat's face way early on the flick shot and gets a leading edge to the cover-point region for a quick single.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Play and a miss! Outside off on a hard length, Ben Duckett does not move his feet and tries to slash it hard but misses and gets beaten on the outside edge.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Asitha with two slips and a gully, begins from over the stumps and bowls right on the money!

Done with the pre-match formalities! The conditions are pretty overcast here at the Oval and we are now ready for the final Test of the English summer. Ben Duckett and Dan Lawrence are the two openers for England. Asitha Fernando has the new red cherry in his hand and is raring to go. Let's play...

We are moments away from the start of the game but before that, players from both sides make their way out to the middle and line up for their respective national anthems. It will be Sri Lanka's first followed by the national anthem of England.

PITCH REPORT - Stuart Broad and Mark Butcher are inspecting the deck. Butcher reckons that with overhead conditions being grey, batting might be a bit challenging. Mentions that the groundsmen have cut down the grass to 4mm which is less than the usual county games. Adds that it will be all about using the conditions. Broad joins him and adds that the ball will move here and it is all about seam movement. Says if you are a bowler, you got to hit the hard lengths to generate success. Also adds th

Ollie Pope, the captain of England says that they would have bowled first as well but it will be a nice challenge for them to bat. Adds that he trusts the abilities of Josh Hull who plays his first Test. States that the youngster enjoys every moment and he bowled beautifully in the nets, so looking forward to seeing him in the game. He reckons he has been short of runs but hopes to change that in this match. Ends up saying that the Joe Root is making the best out of his highs and he would lov

Dhananjaya de Silva, the skipper of Sri Lanka says they cannot control the weather and just focus on what they can do and control with while on the field. Informs they are going with 4 regular seamers. Is hopeful that the workload will be shared equally in this Test. Informs Kusal Mendis and Vishwa Fernando come in place of Nishan Madushka and Prabath Jayasuriya.

A big day for 20-year old Josh Hull as he makes his Test debut. Just before the toss, he was presented with the cap by none other than the legendary Andrew Flintoff. 

England (Playing XI) - Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope(C), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith(WK), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Olly Stone, Josh Hull (In place of Matthew Potts and On Debut), Shoaib Bashir. 

Sri Lanka (Playing XI) - Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (In place of Nishan Madushka), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Kamindu Mendis, Milan Rathnayake, Vishwa Fernando (In place of Prabath Jayasuriya), Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando.

TOSS - The coin lands in favour of Dhananjaya de Silva. Sri Lanka have elected to BOWL first for the second time in a row in this series.

We are back!

... SECOND INNINGS ...

England, on the other hand, will be a bit disappointed as they would have hoped for something near or over 400 after the start that they got. However, we have seen them collapse like this earlier in the summer as well. Ollie Pope was the mainstay for the hosts who notched up his 7th hundred in Tests.

Sri Lanka wraps England up for 325 here! They have been pretty much on the money from the start of Day 2 and kept the pressure on the batters. After a forgettable Day 1 where they conceded 221 runs in just 45 overs of play, this has been a remarkable turnaround for them. The pacers did the job excellently here with Milan Rathnayake sitting on top with three wickets while Vishwa Fernando and Lahiru Kumara chipped in with a couple of wickets each. 

Milan Rathnayake to Shoaib Bashir, ! IN THE AIR AND TAKEN! A momentous collapse for England and Sri Lanka have managed to sneak back in the contest after a dismal outing on the first day. Milan Rathnayake bowls it on the back of a length, around off, it springs off the deck a bit and comes high on the batter. Shoaib Bashir clears his front leg and tries to play a wild heave across the line, but as the ball gets heavier on him, he ends up slicing it off the high end of the bat. The bal

Asitha Fernando to Olly Stone, Asitha follows the batter as Stone shuffles outside leg, pitches it outside leg and on the hard length, Olly Stone is cramped up for room and just about manages to tap it to the leg side.

Asitha Fernando to Olly Stone, Six!

Asitha Fernando to Shoaib Bashir, 1 run.

Asitha Fernando to Shoaib Bashir, No run.

Shoaib Bashir is the last man in. This may be the last over before Lunch, but if a wicket does not fall here, the umpires will surely extend this session.

Asitha Fernando to Josh Hull, ! c Dhananjaya de Silva b Asitha Fernando.

Asitha Fernando to Olly Stone, Length ball, outside off, Olly Stone responds with a crisp back foot square cut towards deep point. Jogs for a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, Short and wide of off, Josh Hull swings and misses.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, At off, on a nagging length, Josh Hull swats it away to the mid off region. The fielder at the mentioned position dives to his left and intercepts the ball. 

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, Back of a length, and outside off, Josh Hull eases it to the off side.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, 2 runs.

Vishwa Fernando to Olly Stone, At the pads on a good length, Olly Stone glances it to wide square leg for a quick single.

Vishwa Fernando to Olly Stone, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, 1 run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, 2 runs.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, ! Gets off the mark in style does Olly Stone! Too full and there to be hit, on the middle, Olly Stone strides out for a sweep, gets on his knee and sweeps it nicely along the ground, past square leg for a boundary.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, Pushed through, floated full on the stumps, Olly Stone defends it with a good forward stride.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, Back of a length and wide outside off. Hull lets it be.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Josh Hull, No run.

Josh Hull, the debutant comes out to the middle now.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! IN THE AIR AND TAKEN AGAIN! This time, it's the English skipper, Ollie Pope who tried to take the aggressive route but holes out. Sri Lanka, right back in the game now.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Olly Stone, No run.

Olly Stone is the next man in.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, ! IN THE AIR AND TAKEN! Sri Lankan skipper, DDS strikes now and England have now lost three quick wickets with the tail exposed.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, Full on the middle stump, Ollie Pope drives it to the wide of mid off, and takes a single.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, Short of a length on the pads, this tucked in the square leg region for a single.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, There comes the reverse sweep! Full and on off, Gus Atkinson reverse sweeps off the leading edge. The ball lands behind short third and they cross for the double.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, Tossed up, pushed through on leg, Gus Atkinson tries to push it to the leg side but wears it on the pads.

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, Too full and outside off, Gus Atkinson attempts the expansive cover drive by extending his arms. Finds Angelo Mathews at cover who parries the ball to the deep and allows a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, Beauty! That in-between length, around off, deviating fractionally away from the batter. Gus Atkinson is squared up and gets beaten on the outside edge.

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, Peach!

Vishwa Fernando to Gus Atkinson, On the leg stump line, at the pads, Gus Atkinson blocks it off the back foot.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Across off on a length, Ollie Pope slashes it away to deep point for a single.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Gus Atkinson, the centurion from the previous Test walks out to bat now.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, 1 run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Gus Atkinson, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Chris Woakes, ! c Milan Rathnayake b Dhananjaya de Silva.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Chris Woakes, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Hard-length delivery on off, shaping it away. Ollie Pope goes for the cut but gets beaten on the outer edge. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Chris Woakes, On a length on leg and middle. Chris Woakes rocks back and hops a bit to tuck it towards right of the short mid-wicket fielder for a single. 

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, Fullish, and just outside off. Ollie Pope punches it toward wide of long off and gets a couple of runs. 

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, No run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Chris Woakes, 1 run.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Chris Woakes comes out to the middle now. We will see some spin now as skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva brings himself into the attack.

Dhananjaya de Silva to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, ! c Kusal Mendis b Vishwa Fernando.

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Pitched up, on off. Jamie Smith drives it towards the cover region. 

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Play and a miss! 

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Pitched up, on off, shaping away. Jamie Smith lunges and slightly opens the face of the bat while performing the drive to guide the ball towards deep cover-point. A couple of runs. taken in between. 

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Vishwa Fernando, the southpaw of Sri Lanka, comes from 'over the wicket and bowls fuller on middle and off. Jamie Smith prods and defends it towards the cover region. 

Drinks! Well, fair to say, the Sri Lankans have come out much improved as compared to the first day. But, luck hasn't quite been with them. They have done everything right, by bowling fuller and allowing the ball to curve and deviate. A lot of inside edges and close calls prove that the English batters tried to unsettle the bowlers and negate the swing. Harry Brook looked uncomfortable and tried to go aggressive and lost his wicket.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, ! EDGED, GAP AND FOUR! 

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Swinging down the leg side, on the back of a length, Ollie Pope goes for a leg glance but misses. The ball brushes off the thigh pad and carries to the keeper.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Four!

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Jamie Smith, Leg bye.

Vishwa Fernando (7-0-29-0) has been brought into the attack from the Vauxhall end. He replaces Milan Rathnayake.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and around off, Ollie Pope stabs it down on the ground, point dives to his left but fails to stop it and the batters get a double.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Length again, on middle, straightens a bit, Ollie Pope looks to work it away but gets a bit squared up as it pops up off the leading edge and lands well before covers.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Good length and on off, Jamie Smith steers it through point for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, ! Fortuitous!

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and on middle, Ollie Pope keeps it out to the leg side.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Full again and around off now, Ollie Pope steers it away towards gully.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, EDGED AND ! Milan Rathnayake lands this back of a length and just outside off, Ollie Pope tries to cut it away, but gets an outside edge, and can you guess where this one goes? Yes, exactly between that gap between the wide first slip and gully for a boundary.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, A bit fuller this time, on middle, Ollie Pope watches it through and blocks it out on te pitch.

Milan Rathnayake to Jamie Smith, On a length and around off, Jamie Smith guides it towards deep point for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Back of a length and angling into the body of the batter, Jamie Smith pulls it away towards fine leg for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Good stop! Overpitched and on off, Jamie Smith drives it away firmly wide of mid off, DDS dives to his right and makes a fine one-handed stop.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Short of a length and on off, angles in, Jamie Smith stays back and blocks it out.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, On a length and on off, Jamie Smith taps it out toward short covers. Lahiru Kumara is consistently blowing on good lines now.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, BEATEN! Lahiru Kumara serves this full and around off, nips away slightly, but it is enough to beat the outside edge of Smith who goes for the big drive.

Lahiru Kumara to Jamie Smith, Lahiru Kumara bowls this on a good length and on off, Jamie Smith pats it away on the back foot as it rolls towards mid off.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Hard length and outside off, Jamie Smith opens the bat face and steers it through point for a run and gets off the mark.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Back of a length and on off, Jamie Smith hops up a bit and keeps it out to the off side.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Pitched up and on the sixth stump line, Jamie Smith strides out and pushes it towards short covers.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Pulls his length back a bit, on off, Jamie Smith stays back and blocks it out.

Asitha Fernando to Jamie Smith, Full again and on off, shapes away a touch, Jamie Smith tries to play it but gets an outside edge along the ground towards gully.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Fuller and angling into the pads, Ollie Pope flicks it through square leg for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Jamie Smith, No run.

Jamie Smith walks in at number 6 for England. Joins his fellow Surrey man and his skipper, Pope.

Milan Rathnayake to Jamie Smith, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, ! BRILLIANTLY TAKEN! Milan Rathnayake gets another important breakthrough for Sri Lanka.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Goes fuller now, on middle and off, Harry Brook steers it towards gully.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Sign of aggression again! Back of a length and outside off, shapes away, Harry Brook charges down the track and throws his bat at it, but fails to connect.

Not really sure, but Dhananjaya de Silva is having a word with the on-field umpire.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Milan Rathnayake hits the length hard and around off, nips away a bit, Harry Brook plays well inside the line of it and the ball goes through to the keeper.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Overpitched and just outside off, Ollie Pope reaches out for it and drills it away, the fielder at short covers gets a hand to it to reduce the momentum. A half-stop you can say. The batters crosses for a double.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! Goes through that gap again! Sri Lanka needs to rethink their slip positions.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, That's a peach of a delivery!

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, An appeal for LBW but 'No' says the umpire, Joel Wilson!

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Fuller and with a bit of a movement at off, Ollie Pope responds with a solid front foot defence.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Gentle outswing outside off, Harry Brook eases it off the thickish outside edge to th second slip.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Hard length again, outside off, Pope punches it to cover-point.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Shade full and around off, Ollie Pope plants his front leg ahead and drives it straight to cover.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Four!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, Outside off, length, Harry Brook looks to cut it away but is a bit too early on the shot, and almost chops it on getting a thick inside edge. Kicks the ball to the cover region in the end.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Rathnayake brings the angle much closer this time around as he sees Pope charging down again. Ollie Pope manages to clip it across along the ground to deep mid-wicket for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, On the back of a length, outside off, Ollie Pope slashes it hard but finds the fielder at cover.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, ! Oh, what a shot that is! Milan Rathnayake goes full and on the off stump line, with a gentle outward deviation, Ollie Pope gets his dancing shoes on and skips down the track, and whips it across the line through the mid-wicket region for a cracking boundary.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Good length shaping away from outside off, left alone.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 'Two, two. two' is the call and they will get it! Excellent running between the wickets by the two! Back of a length, on the stumps, Ollie Pope walks across a couple of steps to the off stump and nudges it with soft hands towards deep mid-wicket for a couple of runs. 

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Over the top of the middle, on the length, Harry Brook gets behind the line and punches it to wide mid on for a quick single.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Holds on the off stump channel does Asitha Fernando, pulls his length fractionally and it skids quickly off the pitch. Harry Brook dead bats at it and lets it pass.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Length ball, outside off, Pope drives it towards deep cover for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, EDGED AND ! 

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Milan Rathnayake to Harry Brook, ! Dear, oh dear! Asitha Fernando has put down an absolute sitter! Just about sums up Sri Lanka's condition in this series. That should have been taken!

A quick change for Sri Lanka as Milan Rathnayake joins the attack. 

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Outswing, on a length, outside off, Ollie Pope slashes it with an upright stance through cover-point for an easy couple of runs. Lahiru Kumara does well to do the mop up work running and sliding to his right from deep point. Saves two for his side.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, On a fuller length and away from the off stump. Pope is invited to drive, and he looks to play without footwork and is well beaten on the outside edge.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Over the top of the off peg, on the length, Harry Brook walks down to the track and guides it behind the square towards deep point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Some movement again! Outside off on the back of a length, it deviates further away from the batter and Brook leaves.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Asitha gets a genuine outswing from outside off on a fuller length, Harry Brook plants his front foot but decides to not have a go at it.

Asitha Fernando will be bowling from the other end. 

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! The umpire raises his finger but Harry Brook thinks otherwise and goes upstairs straightaway!

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, First runs of Day 2 for England! Back of a length to follow again, around off, Harry Brook punches it with soft hands towards deep backward point for a couple of runs.

In all readiness for the action on Day 2 to begin! The two umpires stride out to the middle, followed by the Lankans as they take their positions. Harry Brook and Ollie Pope are on their way to the crease to resume their innings for England. Lahiru Kumara will get the job to start the proceeding for Sri Lanka. Let's play...

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, Kumara starts from over the stumps, and lands it on the money, around off and nipping back into the batter. Harry Brook hops on the back foot to punch it to the off side and gets a thick leading edge towards wide gully where Pathum Nissanka dives to his right and intercepts the ball.

JUST IN - England fans have received disappointing news as fast bowler Mark Wood will be missing the rest of 2024. Medical scans revealed he has a bone stress injury in his right elbow, which he noticed was getting stiffer and more uncomfortable during the Test series against the West Indies earlier this summer. He also had an injury on his right thigh in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford, which is being monitored and managed. As a result, he will miss England's upcoming Test to

On the other hand, Sri Lanka has gone all out with a pace-heavy attack, fielding four main seamers. They have only Kamindu Mendis and captain DDS to offer spin options. However, the big question is whether the spinners can create breakthroughs once the ball gets older, or if the short-ball strategy will be enough to challenge England’s lineup. Despite the bowlers getting significant swing on this pitch, they have struggled to contain England’s batters so far. The Lankans will need to rethink

England is in a comfortable position, thanks to strong performances from their top-order batsmen. For the first time in this series, the top order has managed to provide a solid start, despite the bowler-friendly conditions. Ben Duckett was in sensational form, scoring a quickfire 86 off 79 balls, playing aggressively and putting pressure back on Sri Lanka’s bowlers. Local favorite Ollie Pope, who had struggled in the previous games, is still unbeaten and has already reached his century—a mu

Hello and a very warm welcome to all our viewers joining us for the buildup to Day 2 of this third and final Test match between England and Sri Lanka at The Oval, London. Unfortunately, Day 1 saw limited action due to bad light and some light drizzle. Today, the weather looks cloudy with a slight chance of rain, but we’re hoping for a full day of cricket. 

... DAY 2, SESSION 1 ...

Right then, that’s a wrap from Day 1 of this final Test match. Coming to Day 2, England, buoyed by their performance, will be eager to capitalize on their momentum and extend their score further. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka faces the challenge of regrouping overnight, aiming to return with renewed determination. The action will resume for Day 2 on Saturday, September 7th, with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 10 am GMT. Until then, cheers!

Cut to the final session, the situation remained identically struggling for the Sri Lankans. Pope, well settled, mounted a brisk hundred and looked totally unfettered. But, the light conditions didn't permit the play to continue any further. It was a start-stop kind of a day at The Oval and was dwarfed with only 44.1 overs bowled. So, whom does the first day belong to? Any guesses? Do we need to tell? Jokes apart, England has asserted its dominance well and truly and has left Sri Lanka to searc

But the play was interrupted as rain and bad light played a spoilsport. After a delay of nearly two hours, play finally resumed, though the first session was abbreviated. Pope and Duckett navigated the testing conditions unbothered, accumulating runs by playing on the merit, maintaining a steady run rate of around 5 runs per over, courtesy of strictly average and wayward bowling. Fell to his own aggression, Ben Duckett, yet again missed his well-deserved century, but again, the Lankan bowlers c

Despite conditions that should have favoured seam bowling due to the dampness around, Sri Lanka's pace attack looked surprisingly defensive. They struggled to find their rhythm, rarely troubling the batters with challenging lines and lengths. Nonetheless, Lahiru Kumar managed to break through, claiming the first wicket for Sri Lanka midway through the opening session. Typically, overcast skies and residual moisture on the pitch create challenging conditions for batters, offering bowlers enhan

The rain-interrupted Day 1 draws to an unfortunate close. The day began under muggy, overcast skies, conditions that persisted throughout. Sri Lanka won the toss and inserted the hosts to bat first. England's openers set a steady pace in the first hour, with Duckett displaying notable comfort at the crease. In contrast, Lawrence struggled, and his vulnerability outside off-stump was exposed, and he failed to reach double digits. True to their 'Bazball' brand of cricket, England maintained a br

UPDATE - 5.32 pm GMT - And, the inevitable has happened, folks! Considering the deteriorating light conditions at The Oval, Stumps have been officially called for Day 1. Not a pleasing news by any means, but it is mandatory to follow the rule books of the sport. 

UPDATE - 5.11 pm GMT - The conditions don't look quite promising at The Oval. It is heavily overcast, which has persistently been the case for the whole day so far. On the other hand, Australia, the probable favourites in the series, convincingly defeated Scotland in the second T20I at Edinburgh, and clinched the 3-match T20I series, leading by 2-0 now. Australia first notched up a whopping 196, which included a blistering century from Josh Inglis off just 49 deliveries. And while defending th

UPDATE - 4.49 pm GMT - Uh, oh! It was inevitable, wasn't it? It has gotten a bit darker with all the floodlights glittering now. The umpire Chris Gaffaney takes the light meter out and after examining the readings, he requests the players to walk off the field and the crowd does not really like it as the park echoes with their boos. Fair to say, not an ideal condition to continue. Well, Sri Lanka would not be too displeased with this as they really need to regroup and restructure their stra

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, False stroke!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! HUNDRED FOR POPE! 7th Test century for him and his first at the Oval!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Pitched up and outside off again, Ollie Pope once again reaches out for it and this time drills it through the gap at covers for a couple of runs. Pope is on 99 now!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, He is not able to get away here! Good length and on off, shapes in, Ollie Pope moves across to flick it away but misses and gets hit on the pads. 

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Full and outside off, Ollie Pope reaches out for it but mistimes his drive towards short covers.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Back of a length and outside off, Harry Brook cuts it away towards deep point for a single. Pope's back on strike now in his nervous 90s!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Length again, on middle, Ollie Pope clips it away towards short mid-wicket. He will have to wait a bit more.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Halt! That must have stung Pope really hard on the elbow.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! The skipper is in hurry now to get to the milestone!

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, Fuller and around off, Harry Brook opens the face of his bat and drives it through cover-point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! Gets it away now! Back of a length and on middle, does not bounce that much, Ollie Pope gets a bit stuck in his crease but still manages to swipe it away, it races through the practice pitches and to the deep mid-wicket fence for a boundary. Pope moves into the 90s now!

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Massive appeal for caught behind, but turned down! The keeper convinces his skipper, DDS to take the review.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, BEATEN!

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Back of a length and around off, Harry Brook dabs it wide of point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, ! Harry Brook joins the party now but in streaky fashion! Asitha Fernando begins with a good-length delivery, on off, Harry Brook uses his feet to push it away but gets an outside edge that goes between the second slip and gully for a boundary. A third slip and it would have gone straight into the hands.

Asitha Fernando to share the attack from the other end.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Goes full again, on off, angling in, Ollie Pope taps it out towards short covers. 6 runs off the over then!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Overpitched and just outside off, Ollie Pope drills it out straight to short covers.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and outside off, Ollie Pope cuts it away towards deep point for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! Just over!

We are back for the final session of the first day. The two umpires Joel Wilson and Chris Gaffaney walk out to the middle. The Sri Lankan players walk down the stairs to take their fielding positions. Ollie Pope, eyeing for his 7th Test hundred, along with Harry Brook to resume their innings with the bat. The floodlights are illuminating and it remains to be overcast out there. Lahiru Kumara to continue after the break. And, here we go...

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Lahiru Kumara starts with a back-of-a-length delivery, on of, Ollie Pope looks to punch it away but bunts it down on the ground.

... DAY 1, SESSION 3 ...

After the rain, the ball swung much more than the prior session but the bowlers failed to put much pressure on the batters. After the loss of their second wicket, Pope and Joe Root handled the situation a bit passively, but they made sure to keep the scoreboard ticking. The local boy, Pope also accomplished his 14th half-century in the Test cricket format. Everything was going well for the Three Lions, but the compilation of the change of bringing Lahiru Kumara back into the attack in the 39th o

TEA, DAY 1 - Session Summary - 25 overs, 118 runs, 2 wickets. England would be mighty pleased with the score they have managed to put on. The clash resumed late after the Lunch break, because of some slight drizzle. The groundsmen have done a fabulous job of draining the logged water pretty quickly. Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope started their strands from where they ended. Well, the runs were coming thick, and especially Duckett went hard on the Lankan pacers, and caressed some scoops and cuts to

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, A beauty to end the over and the session! Asitha Fernando lands this on a good length, just on off, nips away a shy bit, Harry Brook gets drawn forward as the ball zips past the outside edge. THAT WILL BE TEA ON DAY 2!

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, Pitches it up a bit, on middle, Harry Brook fends it down the pitch.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, On a length and on middle, Harry Brook nudges it towards mid-wicket.

Asitha Fernando to Harry Brook, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 3 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Full and on off, Ollie Pope prods out and blocks it out.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Harry Brook, No run.

Harry Brook walks in at number 5.

Lahiru Kumara to Joe Root, ! TAKEN! This is a massive wicket for Sri Lanka! Lahiru Kumara gets his second and gets the big fish as well. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Fuller and on off, Ollie Pope taps it just wide of point for a quick single.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Good length from 'over the wicket, on off, angles in, Ollie Pope stays back and blocks it out.

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, Overpitched and around off, Joe Root strides out and drives it nicely, but Kusal Mendis at cover-point dives to his right to save the boundary. Good fielding!

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, Fuller in length and on off, Joe Root strides out and blocks it out solidly.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and around off, Ollie Pope dabs it through point for a single. That also brings up the 50-run partnership between these two batters.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, ! 'Catch it is the call, but this one goes away! Asitha Fernando bangs this short but way outside off, Ollie Pope this time goes after it, does really well to reach for it and slices it away towards the deep point fence for a boundary.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Back of a length and outside off, shaping away, Ollie Pope thinks about slashing at it but decides against it in the end.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Hard length, on middle, angling in, Joe Root nudges it wide of deep square leg for a brace.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Pulls his length back now, on the sixth stump line, Joe Root stays back and guides it towards gully.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Fuller and on off, Joe Root drives it away straight towards short covers.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Good length and outside off, tempts the batter, but Joe Root moves a bit forward and leaves it alone.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and outside off, Ollie Pope cuts it away towards deep point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, Back of a length and around off, Joe Root guides it to point.

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Joe Root, Goes fuller again, on off, Joe Root strides out and dabs it down towards gully.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, On a length and around off, Ollie Pope steers it wide of point for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Very full again, on off, Joe Root plays the full-blooded drive but finds mid off.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, ! Deft touch!

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, ! Excellent shot! Angelo Mathews goes full and just around off, Ollie Pope leans on to his drive nicely, and with the full face of the bat creams it through covers for a boundary.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Back-to-back maidens from Milan Rathnayake! Short of a length and around off, Joe Root dabs it down towards point.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Sticks to his fuller length, on middle now and angles in, Joe Root steps across and knocks it towards mid on.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Overpitched and on off, Joe Root drills it hard down the pitch, but Milan Rathnayake does well to stop it on his follow-through.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Full again and on off, angles in this time, Joe Root stays back in his crease and blocks it out.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Good-length delivery around off, shaping away, Joe Root lets it go to the keeper.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, A bit of hesitation between the two batters but they cross over. Length-delivery around off, Joe Root taps it to the cover-point region and scampers to the other end for a single.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Attacks the stumps does Mathews and bowls it full and around off, Joe Root flicks it to mid on.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, Angelo Mathews hurls it on the back of a length, and keeps the line outside off, Joe Root lets it go alone.

Angelo Mathews to Joe Root, No run.

Angelo Mathews to Ollie Pope, Mathews starts off with a slip in place, bowls it on the back of a length, tailing away outside off, Ollie Pope punches it off the back foot through cover-point for an easy single.

.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, On the fifth stump line, on the length, Joe Root covers his defence and punches it off the back foot to the off side. This is the only second maiden over of the day so far.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Straight and full, aiming the off stump, Joe Root gets a good stride forward and respect the ball with a solid defence.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Closer to the off peg, on a length, Joe Root gets behind the line and defends it to the strip.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Gets that away shape does Milan Rathnayake, fuller and outside off, Joe Root watches the ball closely, prods ahead but leaves it alone.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Vishwa Fernando is struggling big time with his lengths here. Again, bowls it down the leg. Root lets it go.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Hurls it on the back of a length at the pads, Joe Root, with ease, glances it off the back foot to deep square leg for a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Wayward down leg, Joe Root lets it pass. 

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Shorter in length again but down leg, Root lets it go behind to the keeper.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Back of a length, outside off, Ollie Pope cuts it past backward point for a single.

.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, A questioning over from Rathnayake! Back to bowling on around off with a hint of an away movement on a good length. Joe Root has a feel for it and positions himself to attempt the square cut but it leaves the right hander with the angle and beats him up.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Couldn't hold onto that enticing line does Milan Rathnayake as he hurls it on the pads now. Joe Root misses to glance it away and gets rapped on the front thigh pad.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, And again! That inviting line on a length, with an away movement, Joe Root again pokes at it and gets beaten on the outside edge.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Woah! Beauty!

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Length-delivery, outside off, Ollie Pope cuts it behind square towards deep point for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, ! Width and Pope pounces on it gleefully! Milan Rathnayake pitches it well outside off, it nips away a shade after pitching, Ollie Pope with a steady head position, extends his levers and slashes it hard through covers for a boundary.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Wayward, and down leg, Ollie Pope wrists the glace towards deep backward square leg for an easy single.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Hits the nagging length, around middle, and angling on off, Joe Root rides on the bounce and guides it past point for a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Across off on a length, Joe Root goes back and attempts the square cut but ends up getting a thickish inside edge towards the second slip on one bounce.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Fractionally on a good length, around middle and leg, Joe Root walks across a couple of steps and tucks it along the ground with soft hands towards deep square leg for a couple of runs.

Vishwa Fernando to Joe Root, Good length a shade outside off, at 130 kph, Root covers the line with a front foot stride and defends it to covers.

Vishwa Fernando comes back into the attack now.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Much better this time from Rathnayake! Closer to the body, on middle and full in length, Ollie Pope replies with a confident front foot defence.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Again, Milan Rathnayake angles it on the middle and leg, on the back of a length, Ollie Pope reads it well, hops on the back foot and tucks it with softer hands to deep square leg for a couple of runs.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, Full, but down the leg stump line, Joe Root tilts forward and flicks it to deep fine for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Joe Root, No run.

Drinks! Well, the Bazballers have maintained their tag wholeheartedly so far as they have hovered constantly around 5 runs per over. Ben Duckett though, fell for his own aggression and missed his century, yet again. But despite the wicket, Sri Lankan bowlers haven't been able to stem the flow of runs. 

Lahiru Kumara to Joe Root, Back of a length and on off, Joe Root stabs it in front of covers for one.

Lahiru Kumara to Joe Root, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Joe Root, ! Just wide!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, On a length and on middle, Ollie Pope works it away through backward square leg for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Four!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! Streaky and the bowler cannot believe it!

Joe Root walks in at number 4 for England.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, ! c Dinesh Chandimal b Milan Rathnayake.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Back of a length and on middle and off, Ben Duckett stays in his crease and pats it down the pitch.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Fuller once again, on the sixth stump line, Ollie Pope uses his feet this time and knocks it towards covers, he scampers across for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, No run.

Change.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, A huge shot for LBW, but the umpire shakes his head! This one looks close and Dhananjaya de Silva goes for the review.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 2 runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, ! BOOM! The other way now!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Goes for it again, but misses!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Short of a length and around off, Ben Duckett pulls it away wide of deep mid-wicket for a brace. The runs are coming thick and fast now.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, ! Right from the middle this time!

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Hard length and around off again, Ben Duckett stays in his crease and muscles it away through covers, deep point runs to his right to collect it while the batters run three.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Digs it in the surface again, outside off, angles away, Ben Duckett initially winds up for the pull but withdraws from the shot in the end.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Back of a length and around off, Ben Duckett punches it towards short covers.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Full again and on middle, Ben Duckett drills it out towards mid off.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Full and around off, Ollie Pope pushes it towards short extra covers for a single, the fielder throws it at the bowler's end but misses. Pope wants the overthrow, but Duckett has gone a long way, so they settle for one.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Overpitched and on middle, Ollie Pope drills it down the pitch and wide of mid on for a run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! Fine shot!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, ! Not where he intended to play that, but gets the reward!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Back of a length and around off, Ben Duckett stays back and fends it away.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Fuller in length, angling on the pads, Ollie Pope flicks it with his wrists and along the ground toward deep backward square leg for a couple of runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 2 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Four!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, On a length just outside off. Ben Duckett rides the bounce and cuts it a bit late towards deep third man and gets a couple. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Good-length delivery on middle and leg. Ollie Pope clips it towards deep square leg and gets a comfortable single. 

Slight halt! Ollie Pope looks in a bit of pain here. He is not wearing any arm guard and the ball hits him hard on the left elbow. The physio is in to check on him. Pope is good to continue here.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Back of a length just outside off, shaping in. Ollie Pope rides the bounce and pushes it towards the cover region. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Good-length delivery on off, shaping in. Ollie Pope brings the full face of his willow to defend it down but gets nicked on the inner edge and the ball rolls towards deep fine leg for a single. 

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Full and just outside off, shaping it away from the stump. Ollie Pope shoulder arms the delivery. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, ! That one traveled like a bullet! Hard-length delivery, angling it away from the left-hander, away from the off stump. Ben Duckett frees his arms and punches it hard through the cover region for four more runs. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Length delivery on middle. Ollie Pope tucks it towards deep square leg for a single. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, 1 run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, 2 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, Hard-length delivery outside off, around seventh stump. Ollie Pope cuts this one towards deep point and gets a comfortable single. 

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, 1 run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, Four!

Vishwa Fernando to share the attack.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Good-length delivery on middle and off. Ben Duckett camps back and blocks it from the inner part of his willow towards the square leg region. 

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ollie Pope, 3 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Asitha Fernando comes 'over the wicket and bowls on a good length on middle. Ben Duckett bunts it towards backward square leg region and gets a single. 

All set for the post-Lunch session to begin! The players are out in the field. Sri Lankan fielders take their respective fielding positions. Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope to resume their innings with the bat for England.

... DAY 1, SESSION 2 ...

UPDATE - 1.52 pm GMT - We will have an extra 30 minutes of play, which, of course, largely depends on the light conditions as the day progresses. Also, Tea will be taken at 4.10 pm GMT. And only if the conditions permit, the play can be stretched max up to 6.30 pm GMT. 

UPDATE - 1.41 pm GMT - Thank you for being so optimistic and patient, folks! It looks like the rain has stopped for now and the covers are coming off. The ground staff is working hard so that there's no more delay in the resumption. And more pleasing news, the play will resume at 2.10 pm GMT, which is about roughly 30 minutes or so from now. Let's hope that there are no further interruptions and we at least get some good action on Day 1.

UPDATE - 1.16 pm GMT - Well, we have nothing new to update as the situations persist to remain gloomy and rainy. On a brighter note, the second T20I between Scotland and Australia is finally getting underway as it got delayed due to foggy conditions in Edinburgh. Scotland won the toss and decided to field first! You can simply switch the tabs and follow that game for now as we await any positive news from The Oval.

While we wait for play to resume, there's more great news from the 2024 Paralympics for India! Praveen Kumar has secured gold in the Men's High Jump T64 event, bringing India’s gold medal count to 6. The overall medal tally now stands at 26, including 9 silvers and 11 bronze. This is already India's best-ever Paralympic performance, and with a few more events still to come, there's hope for even more medals to add to the tally. Currently, China leads the event with 76 gold medals while Great

UPDATE - 12.34 pm GMT - The conditions remain dark overhead and it continues to rain in London as we speak. The pitch and the squares are covered under white sheets and the waiting game continues. Stay tuned for further updates.

UPDATE - 12.20 pm GMT - Ideally, the second session should have started by now as the allotted 40 minutes for Lunch break have passed now. But, unfortunately, the conditions haven't improved one bit and it hasn't stopped raining. We will probably see a 'delay of an unknown length' as mentioned on-air by Ian Ward. Stick around for further updates.

England as usual have been pretty aggressive with the run-scoring and Ben Duckett is leading the charge. He has already notched up his half-century in quick time, and will be disappointed that his momentum has been halted due to uncontrollable factors. Ollie Pope has also played his shots since coming onto bat and both of them looked in good touch. Lahiru Kumara was the lone wicket-taker for the visitors in this session, but this break now gives them enough time to come up with some differen

Winning the toss, Sri Lanka decided to bowl first under gloomy and overcast conditions hoping their pacers would get good help. However, that was not quite the case as there wasn't much movement, and the visitors were quite inconsistent with their line and lengths as well. They went past the edges on a few occasions but didn't really had anything to show until Dan Lawrence got into an awkward position and gifted his wicket away.

SESSION SUMMARY - 76 runs and 1 wicket in 15 overs! Well, if you are thinking how only 15 overs have been bowled in the first session, it is because of the mixture of bad light with rain. The umpires in the hopes of the conditions getting better have decided to take an early Lunch on Day 1.

UPDATE - 11.35 am GMT - We have an update and it is not a promising one, folks! The drizzle has now turned into proper showers and an early Lunch will be taken at 11.40 am GMT. 

UPDATE - 11.32 am GMT - As mentioned by Ian Ward on air, it's going to be a 'rancid day'. The radar shows that the conditions might even get worse in the upcoming hours as there's a huge and thick cloud cover hovering around South London which might bring showers. As of now, it is not a heavy drizzle but more importantly, the play won't resume until the light conditions get improved. Please stick around for further updates.

UPDATE - 11.21 am GMT - Uh, oh! The light meter is out and unfortunately, the umpires have deemed that the light has deteriorated. There's more artificial light as compared to natural light which is not an ideal condition to continue with the play. The players are now walking off the field as there's a slight drizzle as well out there. The white sheets are being brought in now to cover the strip. It's not that heavy right now, but the conditions are too muggy overhead, to say the least. If the

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ollie Pope, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, 3 runs.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, Pitched up, once again just outside off. Ben Duckett comes forward and pushes it towards cover region for no runs. 

Change.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Pitches it up, oon off. Ollie Pope rests it down towards the cover region for no runs. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Sprays fuller, just outside off, angling towards the stump. Ollie Pope plants his front foot and blocks it right under his eyesight. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Pitched up, and outside of. Ollie Pope solidly defends to his front. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Full-length delivery just outside off. Ollie Pope leans towards the delivery and drives it gently towards mid off. 

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Short of a length on off. Ben Duckett prods and defends it down. 

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, ! TOP SHOT! 

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, No run.

Drinks! Time for the first hydration break in this third Test. England have dominated the session thus far as they have maintained to score at a healthy run rate in this first hour or so. Ben Duckett has looked rock-solid and is already into his 40s. The ball hasn't done much of a movement which might trouble the batters big time, or we can say, the Sri Lankan bowlers have been inconsistent with their lines and lengths. But they have managed to break the opening partnership as Lawrence had a tou

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Four!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, ! That's big!

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 1 run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, 3 runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, On a length and around off, Ollie Pope looks to guide it away but ends up stabbing it towards short covers again.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Fuller and on off, Ollie Pope gets forward and plays a front foot defense towards short covers.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Hard length and around off, Ollie Pope punches it towards deep point for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Short of a length and outside off, shapes away again, Ollie Pope goes after it and slashes hard but fails to connect.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Hits the length hard and in that channel outside off, shapes away a touch, Ollie Pope offers no shot at it.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Fuller in length and on off again, Ollie Pope this time prods forward and blocks it out.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, Pitched up and on off, Ollie Pope looks to drive but losses his bottom hand, fails to get the timing as the ball rolls towards mid off.

Milan Rathnayake to Ollie Pope, ! Lovely shot!

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Hard length and on off, shapes in, Ollie Pope leaves it alone, Dinesh Chandimal dives to stop it but only manages to parry it away allowing a bye. He is having a torrid time behind the stumps here.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, On a length and on leg, Ben Duckett works it around the corner for another run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 2 runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Ollie Pope, Leg bye.

Ollie Pope, the English skipper walks in at number 3.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, ! IN THE AIR....GONE! Lahiru Kumara draws first blood here! Dan Lawrence's lean patch continues as he goes back for yet another low score in this series.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, No run.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, MORE! Good aggression from Ben Duckett!

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, ! Thrashed away!

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Pulls his length back this time, on off, Ben Duckett takes a couple of steps forward and blocks it out to the off side.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Pitches it up now, on middle and leg, no real movement on this one, Ben Duckett knocks it down to mid on.

Milan Rathnayake to Dan Lawrence, On a length and on middle, Dan Lawrence nudges it towards mid-wicket for a single.

Milan Rathnayake to Ben Duckett, Nicely played! Milan Rathnayake starts with a cross-seam delivery, full and on off, Ben Duckett presents the full face of his bat and drives it smoothly past mid off, Dhananjaya de Silva from mid on chases after it, puts in a dive forward to push it back inside. Three runs taken.

Milan Rathnayake has been introduced into the attack now. He replaces Asitha Fernando.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, On a length and on middle, Ben Duckett works it wide of mid-wicket for another run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, 2 runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, Good-length delivery, shapes in sharply with a bit of an extra bounce, Dan Lawrence gets into an awkward position but flicks it away through mid-wicket for a single.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, Back of a length and around off, Dan Lawrence hops up a bit and dabs it down towards point.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Too straight again! On a length and angles into the leg side, Dan Lawrence nudges it away towards fine leg for a run.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Hits the length hard, on the sixth stump line, this one takes off a bit after hitting the deck, Dan Lawrence watches it through, lifts it his bat and lets it go to the keeper.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Short of a length and around leg, Ben Duckett easily tucks it off his hips towards fine leg for a single.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Asitha Fernando lands this one back of a length, on off, holds its line and skids through as well, Ben Duckett gets a bit hurried but manages well to pat it down to the off side.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Goes fuller again but on the pads this time, Ben Duckett flicks it away nicely but finds short mid-wicket. That was there to be put away.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Keeps it straight, keeps it full, shapes in a touch, Ben Duckett stays in his crease and blocks it out with a straight bat down the pitch.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, Good leave! Kumara lands it on a nagging length, slightly nipping back in after pitching outside off, Dan Lawrence watches the ball closely and opts out as he hangs his bat in the air.

Lahiru Kumara to Dan Lawrence, First runs for Lawrence and he gets a cheer from the spectators. Over the top of the middle, on the back of a length, Dan Lawrence tucks it off the back foot towards deep square leg for a couple of runs.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Full on the off stump, Ben Duckett taps it towards cover for a quick single.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, ! Now that's a gracious shot!

Oops, that must have hurt Dinesh Chandimal! He has a blow on his right hand lower thumb, as he dives to his right to keep the delivery. The physio is out to have a look. Chamdimal is back on his feet and is ready to keep further. 

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, No run.

Lahiru Kumara to Ben Duckett, Lahiru Kumar starts with a couple of slips in place. Starts a bit wayward on the hard length, down leg. Ben Duckett misses to pull. Dinesh Chandimal moves to his right as the ball moves away very late. Does manage to get his right hand at it but the ball deflects off his gloves towards the short fine region.

First change in the inning. Lahiru Kumara joins the attack now.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, At 129 kph, good length, outside off, Dan Lawrence leaves it alone. The ball carries to the keeper with a bit of a lateral movement, but Chandimal manages to collect it well and sharply behind the wickets.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Hard-length delivery outside off, Dan Lawrence lets it go.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, 3 runs.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Hard length at 134 kph, outside off, Ben Duckett weighs on the back foot and mistimes the pull shot along the ground to mid-wicket.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Good length, across off, Ben Duckett pokes at it, looking for a back foot push but gets beaten on the outside edge.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, Similar length, but a bit closer to the body, Ben Duckett hits it across and threads the flick through mid-wicket and mid on. Kamindu Mendis chases the ball from the mid on region and does well to intercept it before the ropes with a slide. He lobs the ball to the converging fielder from mid-wicket. Three taken in the meantime.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, ! Nice shot! Vishwa Fernando misses his line and bowls it full and down leg, Ben Duckett simply flicks it through the mid-wicket and mid on gap for a boundary.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Oopsie! That took off quite late!

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Almost an identical line and length, outside off, Dan Lawrence shoulders arms at this one.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, And again! 

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Corrects his length and line, on the middle and on the good length, Dan Lawrence gets behind the line of the ball and punches it solidly underneath his bat off the back foot.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, WIDE! Sprays it well across and outside the tramline on a length. Wide given.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett,Good-length delivery sliding down leg, Duckett lets it pass.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Asitha hurls this one on a questioning length! Entices the batter to poke at it by bowling it full and in the channel of uncertainty, just outside off. Ben Duckett has a feel for it and prods forward to defend it. Plays it inside the line and gets beaten on the outside edge by a whisker.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, ! Almost chopped on, but gets away with it does Duckett!

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Fuller and around the middle and off, Ben Duckett pushes it firmly to mid on.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Back of a length, fractionally swinging in from middle with the angle, Ben Duckett glances it with soft hands towards square leg.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Swing and a miss! Full and across off, Ben Duckett has to really reach out for it as he extends his arms and slashes hard. Ends up getting beaten on the outside edge.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, There's that questioning line and length! Lands it on the leg stump line and moves it away from the batter around off, on a length, Dan Lawrence attempts for a firm push, but plays inside the line of the ball and gets beaten on the outside edge.

Vishwa Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Aims the middle and leg stump line with an inward movement, Dan Lawrence stands upright and glances it straight to square leg who misfields and parries the ball to mid-wicket, but is quick to redeem himself. 

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, Over the top of off, on a length, and shaping inwards. Ben Duckett waits for it to arrive and tucks it with soft hands to wide mid-wicket and jogs for a single.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, This one tails in a long way, starts from the middle stump and goes down the leg side on a fullish length. Ben Duckett misses to flick it away and the keeper collects it by bending to his left.

Vishwa Fernando to Ben Duckett, Vishwa Fernando begins with a couple of slips in place and a gully in position. Hits the deck hard outside off from over the pegs, Ben Duckett punches it off the back foot to the short cover region.

Vishwa Fernando will be bowling from the other end.

Asitha Fernando to Dan Lawrence, Back of a length and on middle, at 129 kph, Dan Lawrence defends it to mid-wicket.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, A streaky way to get underway! On the middle, curving in a shade on a fuller length, Ben Duckett closes the bat's face way early on the flick shot and gets a leading edge to the cover-point region for a quick single.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Play and a miss! Outside off on a hard length, Ben Duckett does not move his feet and tries to slash it hard but misses and gets beaten on the outside edge.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, No run.

Asitha Fernando to Ben Duckett, Asitha with two slips and a gully, begins from over the stumps and bowls right on the money!

Done with the pre-match formalities! The conditions are pretty overcast here at the Oval and we are now ready for the final Test of the English summer. Ben Duckett and Dan Lawrence are the two openers for England. Asitha Fernando has the new red cherry in his hand and is raring to go. Let's play...

We are moments away from the start of the game but before that, players from both sides make their way out to the middle and line up for their respective national anthems. It will be Sri Lanka's first followed by the national anthem of England.

PITCH REPORT - Stuart Broad and Mark Butcher are inspecting the deck. Butcher reckons that with overhead conditions being grey, batting might be a bit challenging. Mentions that the groundsmen have cut down the grass to 4mm which is less than the usual county games. Adds that it will be all about using the conditions. Broad joins him and adds that the ball will move here and it is all about seam movement. Says if you are a bowler, you got to hit the hard lengths to generate success. Also adds th

Ollie Pope, the captain of England says that they would have bowled first as well but it will be a nice challenge for them to bat. Adds that he trusts the abilities of Josh Hull who plays his first Test. States that the youngster enjoys every moment and he bowled beautifully in the nets, so looking forward to seeing him in the game. He reckons he has been short of runs but hopes to change that in this match. Ends up saying that the Joe Root is making the best out of his highs and he would lov

Dhananjaya de Silva, the skipper of Sri Lanka says they cannot control the weather and just focus on what they can do and control with while on the field. Informs they are going with 4 regular seamers. Is hopeful that the workload will be shared equally in this Test. Informs Kusal Mendis and Vishwa Fernando come in place of Nishan Madushka and Prabath Jayasuriya.

A big day for 20-year old Josh Hull as he makes his Test debut. Just before the toss, he was presented with the cap by none other than the legendary Andrew Flintoff. 

England (Playing XI) - Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope(C), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith(WK), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Olly Stone, Josh Hull (In place of Matthew Potts and On Debut), Shoaib Bashir. 

Sri Lanka (Playing XI) - Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (In place of Nishan Madushka), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Kamindu Mendis, Milan Rathnayake, Vishwa Fernando (In place of Prabath Jayasuriya), Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando.

TOSS - The coin lands in favour of Dhananjaya de Silva. Sri Lanka have elected to BOWL first for the second time in a row in this series.