After having to bowl spin in the last session of the third Test at the Oval, England was left feeling let down as Sri Lanka managed to mount a comeback. After beginning the day at 221/3, England’s pacers, headed by Olly Stone, bowled the hosts out for 325 after reducing Sri Lanka to 93/5 in the second session. After an uninterrupted 118-run stand between Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis, both batsmen reached fifty as Sri Lanka entered the stadium at 211/5.
Yes, those are the rules. At the end of the day’s play, after England bowled 17 overs of spin in a shortened third session, Stone stated, “You can’t change those.” It is no longer in our control. Obviously, we would have liked to have bowled seam there. It’s just one of those tasks that, although annoying, must be completed.
Ollie Pope, England’s acting captain, found himself in the limelight once more when he had to decide whether to use his spinners to continue playing or to pull the players off the field. In the first Test at Old Trafford, he had earlier decided to stick with spinners, and after 12 overs of slow bowling, Sri Lanka managed to rally from 113/7 to score 236. When faced with a similar circumstance at Lord’s, he had chosen to send the players out early, a decision that former white-ball captain Eoin Morgan had condemned.
The rules pertaining to light and weather conditions say that the umpires alone have the authority to determine whether the ground, weather, light, or extraordinary circumstances make it unsafe or inappropriate for play to proceed. It is not acceptable to label conditions as harmful or unreasonable just because they aren’t perfect.
Although Stone believed the ball was visible, the team had to accept the umpires’ ruling. I suppose everyone could see the ball. As a team, we want to play as long as we can, but we have to follow the umpires’ decisions. Sadly, we were unable to bowl seam. There has to be a limit, I suppose, and you don’t want to see anyone be harmed. Regardless of whether it’s seam or spin, we’ll continue to amuse and advance the game.
