Insights

On day 2 of the third Test between England and Sri Lanka at The Oval, an unusual situation arose when fast bowler Chris Woakes was compelled to bowl off-spin due to deteriorating light conditions. This decision followed a discussion between the umpires and England's captain, Ollie Pope, who was asked to introduce spinners as a standard response to the fading visibility. Woakes had already bowled two deliveries before switching to spin after the run out of Dimuth Karunaratne in the 7th over of the Lankan innings. During his brief spell of off-spin, Woakes delivered four balls, conceding six runs, which included a boundary struck by Pathum Nissanka. The incident was met with a mix of amusement and disbelief from the players on the field. Joe Root, positioned at first slip, found the situation particularly humorous, while England's spin bowling coach, Jeetan Patel, appeared anxious about the unexpected turn of events. Ben Stokes, the regular captain who was sidelined due to injury, expressed shock at seeing Woakes bowl spin. England had previously posted a total of 325 runs, largely thanks to Ollie Pope's impressive 154 runs off 156 balls and Ben Duckett's contribution of 86 runs. However, the rest of the batting lineup struggled, with Harry Brook managing only 19 runs as the next highest score. The Sri Lankan bowlers, including Milan Rathnayake, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, and Dhananjaya de Silva, collectively took wickets to restrict England's scoring. This match marked a significant moment in the series, with England leading 2-0 in the three-match Test series against Sri Lanka. The bizarre incident of Woakes bowling spin highlighted the challenges players face in adapting to changing conditions during a match.