Ollie Pope sets a unique record with his century against Sri Lanka in the third Test

It was an exceptional Friday for Ollie Pope as the interim English captain scored an impressive century on the opening day of the final Test. Pope faced a poor form previously, scoring just 30 runs in four innings since taking over as England's captain from the injured Ben Stokes at the start of the Sri Lanka series. However, Pope made a remarkable comeback at his home ground, the Oval, by notching his first century as England's captain at the start of the third Test against Sri Lanka. When play was halted on the first day due to bad light, Pope was unbeaten on 103 from 103 balls, with England in a solid position at 221-3.

Ollie Pope sets the record straight with his century against Sri Lanka in the final Test

This century scored against the Lankans on the first day of the final Test marked Pope's seventh in Test cricket. Notably, each of the seven centuries that Pope has scored so far  has been hit against all different opponents. Pope is now registered as the first batter to achieve the unique feat in Test cricket. Pope made his Test debut against India at Lord’s on August 9, 2018.

Subsequently, he crossed the three figure mark for the first time against South Africa in Gqeberha on January 17, 2020 when he remained unbeaten on 135 runs from 226 balls. The match and Pope’s contribution ended up in a match victory for England by an innings and 53 runs. His second century came against New Zealand in Nottingham on June 12, 2022, followed by his third against Pakistan at Rawalpindi on December 1, 2022, where he scored 108 from 104 balls.Pope, who bats at No. 3 for England, achieved his fourth, fifth, and sixth Test centuries against Ireland (205 runs), India (196 runs), and the West Indies (121 runs), respectively.

His 196-run innings in Hyderabad during the first Test of the January 2024 series against India was instrumental in setting a target of 231 runs, which India failed to chase, resulting in a 28-run defeat.Sri Lanka coming to the final test already trailing 2-0 in the series failed to capitalise on the overcast conditions and a pitch with a greenish tinge after winning the toss at the Oval. England could have seen another century-maker on Friday, but opener Ben Duckett, after scoring 86, fell short once again. However, Pope having faced fair criticism for his cheap dismissals across the 4 innings of the last two tests, attained a fitting knock to define his dedication to batting despite the additional responsibility of leading the side in the absence of Ben Stokes.

On Friday, Pope reached his hundred in just 102 balls, making it the second-fastest century by an England captain in Test cricket. The record for the fastest century by an England captain is held by Graham Gooch, who completed his 95 balls against India at Lord’s in 1990. With the second day of the third Test underway, Pope cruised to 150 before falling to a short ball by Vishwa Fernando and handing a catch to Karunaratne at deep square. Next wickets came in quick succession for Sri Lanka as England wrapped the first innings with the total score of 325 at the Oval.