Pope’s century came off a beautiful square drive. As soon as the ball crossed the in-field, Pope clutched his fists and let out a cry of joy even as Root, Stokes and his other teammates stood up in the dressing room to celebrate.

Filling in as captain for the injured Ben Stokes, Pope has already led England to a series victory over the Sri Lankans after wins at Old Trafford and Lord’s but arrived at the Oval with question marks over his own form after knocks of 6, 6, 1 and 17.

Pope made amends with a run-a-ball 103 not out, becoming in the process the first batter in 147 years of Test history to hit each of his first seven centuries against different opponents.

Pope has scored centuries against South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, Ireland, India, West Indies and now Sri Lanka to achieve the unique feat.

England dominate Day 1 against Sri Lanka

England dominated Day 1 of the test match against Sri Lanka, reaching 221-3 at stumps despite weather interruptions. Ben Duckett’s aggressive innings of 86 narrowly missed a century, while Ollie Pope showed a return to form with an unbeaten knock. England is aiming for a clean sweep of home test series this summer, having already beaten the West Indies 3-0.

Duckett’s entertaining innings included several bold shots, but he ultimately fell short of his fourth test century. Pope, alongside Harry Brook (8 not out), has hit 13 fours and two sixes so far.

The day was marked by a three-hour stoppage due to bad light and rain, and Sri Lanka will be disappointed to have only taken three English wickets. Joe Root was dismissed cheaply for 13, while Dan Lawrence struggled again, making only 5.

England debutant Josh Hull, a 20-year-old left-arm seamer, was fast-tracked into the squad despite limited first-class experience. Coach Brendon McCullum acknowledged it as a “hunch” and “punt” to bring Hull into the team, with an eye on future series, including the Ashes next year.