England’s Ben Duckett batting during the morning session of the third Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval, 2024. Rain clouds loom as Sri Lankan bowlers struggle to find their rhythm.

Sri Lanka versus England Test Series, 2024

3rd Test

Day-1 Morning Session Highlights:

England off to a brisk start on a rain-interrupted morning

Ben Duckett raced to a quick half-century in the first innings © Getty

At The Lunch of Day-1:

England scored 76/1 vs Sri Lanka

A combination of erratic bowling from Sri Lanka and proactive batting from England allowed the hosts to get off to a flying start in the morning session of the third Test at The Oval on Friday (September 6).

Opting to bowl under overcast skies with the floodlights on, Sri Lanka’s seamers struggled to find the right lengths consistently, failing to build pressure on England’s batters.

Ben Duckett (51* off 48) took charge of the innings with his usual aggressive stroke play, dispatching anything remotely short or straight square of the wicket on both sides as the visiting bowlers lacked discipline.

This lack of control meant Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva was unable to set highly attacking fields.

Sweepers were stationed on both sides of the wicket, and for most of the session, only two slips and a gully were employed.

The only bright moment for Sri Lanka came when Lahiru Kumara hit a hard length, extracting extra bounce to dismiss Daniel Lawrence.

Caught in two minds, Lawrence misjudged a short ball and top-edged it towards the slip cordon, gifting Sri Lanka their first breakthrough.

Stand-in captain Ollie Pope looked positive from the start, showcasing his intent with a nonchalant pull over backward square leg for six, while Duckett continued to dominate proceedings with fluid stroke play.

Although the ball didn’t swing much for Sri Lanka’s bowlers, there was some movement on offer as the lacquer wore off.

However, rain interrupted the session with nearly an hour left to play, halting England’s rapid progress.

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