Ollie Pope out as England collapse on second morning against Sri Lanka
The hosts dominated day one to reach 221 for three but batted carelessly as they were rolled over in just two hours.
England collapsed to 325 all out on the second morning of the third Test against Sri Lanka, with captain Ollie Pope reaching 154 before joining the exodus.
The hosts dominated day one to reach 221 for three, Pope making an unbeaten 103, but batted carelessly as they were rolled over in just two hours.
Sri Lanka took the last six wickets for just 35 as the lower order offered minimal resistance.
Pope and Harry Brook set the tone for a frivolous session, adding 40 runs at a rapid rate but offering plenty of encouragement to the bowlers as they went.
Brook was badly dropped on 12 when he charged Milan Rathnayake and screwed the ball to deep cover off the toe end of the bat and produced a series of false shots as he looked to dominate. His frantic stay ended on 19 when he drilled a drive straight to cover.
Pope, who had already answered criticism over his lean run of scores since taking over as skipper from the injured Ben Stokes, also lacked focus. Despite topping up his score to the tune of 51 runs at almost a run-a-ball he could have been out a handful of times.
Three times he edged the ball through a gap in the slip cordon, Sri Lanka lacking ambition and paying the price.
Pope was close to falling lbw on 139, spared by a marginal DRS call that dampened Vishwa Fernando’s buoyant celebrations, and nicked the ball a fraction of an inch past his leg stump later in the same over.
That luck was never likely to hold and chances soon began to go to hand. Jamie Smith managed 16 before flicking Vishwa to midwicket and Chris Woakes lasted only four deliveries before lobbing Dhananjaya de Silva into the off-side.
Gus Atkinson lacked the application he showed in his maiden century at Lord’s last week, holing out to De Silva as he swung for the fences, and England lost their fulcrum two balls later when Pope’s good fortune ran out. Attempting to hook Vishwa all the way over deep square, he failed to clear the boundary rider and dropped to his knees in frustration.
England’s last two lacked the nous to extend the innings past lunch, debutant Josh Hull and number 11 Shoaib Bashir producing a pair of rank mis-hits to hurry England’s demise.
There was time for just one over before the break, with a solitary run off Woakes.
