September 8, 2024

You don’t want to see anyone get hurt – Stone on ‘frustrating’ bad-light call

England faced frustration at the end of Day 2 in the third Test at The Oval as Sri Lanka fought back during the final session. England’s pacers, led by Olly Stone, had reduced Sri Lanka to 93/5 in the second session after the hosts were bowled out for 325, starting the day at 221/3. However, Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva formed an unbeaten 118-run partnership, both scoring fifties, bringing Sri Lanka to 211/5 by Stumps. England were forced to bowl spin late in the day, unable to make further breakthroughs.

“They’re the rules, aren’t they? You can’t change those,” Stone said at the end of the day’s play, after England bowled 17 overs of spin in a curtailed third session. “It’s taken out of our hands. We’d have obviously loved to have bowled seam there. It’s just one of those things that’s frustrating but has to be done.”

England’s stand-in captain Ollie Pope found himself in the spotlight again, having to decide whether to keep using his spinners or take the players off the field. In the first Test at Old Trafford, he had chosen to continue with spin, allowing Sri Lanka to recover from 113/7 to reach 236 after 12 overs of slow bowling. Faced with a similar situation at Lord’s, Pope decided to take the players off early, a move that drew criticism from former white-ball captain Eoin Morgan.

Umpires’ Decision on Light Forces England to Adapt with Spin Bowling

The laws regarding the light and weather state: “it is solely for the umpires together to decide whether either conditions of ground, weather or light or exceptional circumstances mean that it would be dangerous or unreasonable for play to take place. Conditions shall not be regarded as either dangerous or unreasonable merely because they are not ideal.”

Stone was of the opinion that the ball was visible but the team had to respect the umpires’ decision. “Everyone could see the ball, I guess. As a team we want to be out there for as long as we can and you have to go off what the umpires say, and unfortunately we couldn’t bowl seam. I guess there’s a point where it may become dangerous, and you don’t want to see anyone get hurt. We’ll keep providing the entertainment whether it be with seam or spin, and trying to take the game forward.”

At one point, Chris Woakes was forced to bowl spin during his over when the umpires decided the light was too poor for pace bowling. This happened in the seventh over, shortly after Dimuth Karunaratne was run out by a direct hit from Olly Stone. Woakes bowled four off-spin deliveries, one of which was hit for a boundary by Pathum Nissanka, before England were allowed to return to pace bowling. Reflecting on the situation, Stone explained, “It’s a tricky one where we wanted to stay out there and that was the option to do so,”

Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu, and Sri Lankan Bowlers Lead Strong Fightback

The second day of the final Test at The Oval was Sri Lanka’s best performance of the series. The bowlers made a strong start in the morning, dismissing England for 325, preventing the hosts from reaching a potential score of over 400. However, Sri Lanka soon found themselves in trouble, collapsing from 70/1 to 93/5. Despite the setback, Dhananjaya de Silva (64*) and Kamindu Mendis (54*) steadied the innings with an unbeaten 118-run partnership, helping Sri Lanka fight back into the match.

Bad light once again forced stumps an hour early. In the final session, Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis took advantage of England’s spin bowling, as fading light made pace bowling impossible. Both batters, skilled against spin, scored freely despite a few deliveries gripping and bouncing sharply, though mostly from manageable lines. De Silva was fortunate to survive when debutant Josh Hull dropped a simple catch off Shoaib Bashir’s bowling. After that, the Sri Lankan captain played cautiously, while Kamindu continued his strong form in Test cricket with an impressive innings.

England’s Bowling Struggles and Sri Lanka’s Resilient Fightback

England had a mixed day with the ball, struggling early on with the new ball, which allowed Sri Lanka to start strongly, led by Pathum Nissanka’s fifty. However, once England found their rhythm, they triggered a collapse before Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis stabilized the innings. Captain Ollie Pope tried different tactics and set unusual field placements but couldn’t break their partnership as Sri Lanka reduced the deficit to 114 by the end of play. With England set to bat last, the next session could be crucial in determining the outcome of the match.

The partnership between Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis was the perfect conclusion to a day where Sri Lanka’s bowlers shined in the morning session. Unlike the first day, their pacers were sharp from the start, preventing England from dominating. Ollie Pope, who scored his seventh Test century and set a record for the fastest 150 at The Oval, was the only highlight for England’s batting on day two, as Sri Lanka’s bowlers took control. For a while, it seemed their efforts might go to waste, but Dhananjaya and Kamindu’s partnership helped Sri Lanka fight back.

Brief scores:
England: 325 (Ollie Pope 154, Ben Duckett 86; Milan Rathnayake 3-56, Dhananjaya de Silva 2-18, Vishwa Fernando 2-46)
Sri Lanka: 211/5 (Dhananjaya de Silva 64*, Pathum Nissanka 64, Kamindu Mendis 54*; Olly Stone 2-28)
England lead by 114 runs.