The Cricketer looks at the main talking points from day one of the third Test between England and Sri Lanka at the Kia Oval
When Brendon McCullum said England needed to adopt a more nuanced approach this summer, having been humbled by India, few wondered whether he meant it, even if it would happen.
At least with the bat, Ben Stokes' side have been slightly more withdrawn. They have scored at 4.49 this summer, below the 4.93 they went against Ireland in Australia and the 5.16 they managed across series in Pakistan and New Zealand in the 2022/23 winter.
Try telling Joe Root, however, that the handbrake has been pulled up slightly. Fresh from his record-breaking twin centuries at Lord's, the Yorkshireman didn't hold back via his very first delivery, charging at Lahiru Kumara and attempting to deposit him into the crowd.
He did find the boundary and avoid any danger, but it was another sign that behind England's new messaging some old habits are lurking. And that isn't altogether a bad thing.
Joe Root didn't hold back in England's first innings (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Written off in some quarters, personally attacking in others: Ollie Pope delivered the perfect repost with an innings of guts, punch and panache.
Pope's career has been laden with long stretches of poor form punctuated by vital knocks.
This was his seventh Test Hundred against a seventh different opponent and, in the circumstances, it was one of his best.
Though the 26-year-old's record at the Kia Oval is well known - he now averages 83.67 in first-class cricket on his home ground - these were anything but ideal conditions.
Gloomy overheads, the ball moving around and under pressure after a succession of low scores, conditions were testing. Some will point back to the ground, but if someone steals the sofa from my house that doesn't mean I'll be comfortable on the floor.
While Sri Lanka's seamers were pathetic at times having been backed by captain Dhananjaya da Silva at the toss, we can still praise Pope for the way he took them down. For every occasion he was struck - three times in fact, the third of which drew blood - he belted another ball to the boundary.
Ahead of returning to his role exclusively as a top-order batter against Pakistan and New Zealand, it was the perfect way to sign off the summer.
Third Test umpires Chris Gaffaney and Joel Wilson(Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
It speaks to the competitiveness of the opening day at the Kia Oval - indeed this entire Test summer - that alongside Ollie Pope's hundred the headlines will be dominated by the two breaks - the second of which curtailed a truncated day - for bad light.
You might consider it tedious to return to a subject which continues to dog world cricket, particularly in England it seems, but in the era of inflated ticket costs, a cost of living crisis, surge pricing and limited disposable income, it is an important conversation to keep having.
"When full floodlights are on, how hard is it to see the ball? I don't think we have ever done a study on that," said England managing director Rob Key. "It is frustrating. I am saying that as an administrator. As a player, I would have said what are we doing out here?"
Floodlights. Light meters. Red balls. Pink balls. Safety. Visibility. Value for money. Entertainment. There are multiple factors at play here but the sport is lacking is clarity and common sense.
English cricket needs to take the lead in this area, hold proper consultation with all relevant stakeholders and find a way of keeping us out on the field for the longest possible period, particularly if we're going to keep shoving Test cricket into September. Currently, there feels like too many unknowns in the laws which is leading to unfathomable decisions.
The chorus of boos which met umpires Chris Gaffaney and Joel Wilson pointing the players off the field summed up the situation the sport has found itself in.
But you can be sure there were 11 individuals who were perfectly content with the decision: the Sri Lanka team.
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