But when bad light ended play for the day, Pope was a run-a-ball 103 not out, with England well-placed on 221-3.
Sri Lanka, already 2-0 down in this three-match series, failed to make the most of overcast conditions and a green-tinged pitch after captain Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss.
And England should arguably have had two century-makers on Friday with opener Ben Duckett, not for the first time, giving his wicket away after making 86.
A rare bright spot for struggling Sri Lanka was the dismissal of Joe Root for 13 shortly before tea.
Root was fresh from two hundreds in a 190-run win at Lord’s where he set a new England record of 34 Test centuries.
England, who swept the West Indies 3-0 earlier this season are chasing their first home Test campaign clean sweep since 2004, when Michael Vaughan oversaw seven successive wins.
England cricket greats Nat and Katherine Sciver-Brunt have announced they are expecting a baby.In a shared post on Instagram,, external all-rounder Nat Sciver-B
Duckett is one of the biggest disciples of ‘Bazball’ and for good reason, having averaged in the mid-40s since his Test recall two years ago with a strike-
But Cook suggested Brook, 25, may come to regret his remarks in years to come and believes he would have worded his post-match messaging differently."I think if
Travis Head scored a stunning unbeaten 154 as Australia claimed a convincing seven-wicket win over England in the first one-day international at Trent Bridge.Af