Two deliveries into the seventh over of Sri Lanka's first innings, Chris Woakes was told that the light was bad and that he needed to bowl spin. The very next over, Gus Atkinson was bowling seam.
During those four deliveries, Pathum Nissanka (65) managed to clip one to the boundary while singles for Kusal Mendis (14) and Nissanka also came from Woakes' brief foray into the world of spin bowling.
Then, in the time it took from Woakes to bowl his final pace delivery to his last slow ball, the light was judged to have improved enough for one of England's quickest bowlers to start running it in again.
As Atkinson (0-46) was tossed the ball, Ben Stokes was a picture of disbelief, the injured skipper with his head in his hands at what he had just witnessed.
England were then forced to bowl spin once again in the evening session, Shoaib Bashir (0-29), Dan Lawrence (0-29), and Joe Root (0-11) hunting wickets to no avail as the floodlights did their best to keep the game alive until bad light stopped play again at 5.36pm.
For Sky Sports Cricket's Kumar Sangakkara, Atkinson being allowed to bowl seam after Woakes was forced to bowl spin was "unacceptable" and "confusing".
"It was unacceptable. It boggles the mind as to how three deliveries later you then have one of England's quickest bowlers [in Gus Atkinson] coming in from the other end," said Sangakkara.
"You have got to find a way to fix it and have common sense, saying 'no one can bowl and we will come back when the light is better'.
"It was really confusing for everyone."
What is the solution?
While the Woakes incident did not come late in the day, occurring at around 2.30pm in the afternoon on day two, it is an issue that has plagued the third Test at The Oval since the players took to the field on Friday morning with the gloomy skies sitting in place at 11am.
On day one, Sri Lanka opted against using their spinners and play was stopped as the umpires waited for light to improve, prompting Nasser Hussain to call for a solution to the current regulations including a potential 10.30am start.
"Every year we have this discussion and I feel for spectators - they pay a lot of money for Test match tickets," Hussain said on day one.
"It's difficult to explain to people; the batters have just scored 20 off the last four overs, they looked so comfortable, there was no threat [to the batters].
"There are so many things with the game I'd like to change with things like that.
"We start at 11am tomorrow first ball, then in September and autumn are surprised it gets a bit dark at 5pm or 6pm. Why are we not starting at 10.30am tomorrow morning? County cricket does.
"I've said this year in, year out and nothing changes.
"I don't blame the umpires. They're just doing they're job, they're doing it by the letter of the law and the playing regulations.
"They take that reading and now, for the rest of the Test match, the moment it gets to that reading they just go off.
"I think try and stay on for as long as you can."
For Atherton, the first call to come off for bad light in a Test match must be made as late as "humanly possible" by the umpires out in the middle.
"When we first went off for bad light in this Test match, Stuart Broad and I looked at each other as if to say, 'Is it really that bad at the moment?'" Atherton said.
"That is important as that then becomes the standard for the Test, so I would say you leave the first time you go off as late as humanly possible."
Despite frustrations with the current regulations, England opener Ben Duckett believes that safety for the players is paramount and it is very different out on the field than it is for spectators.
"If it does get more dark and more dangerous, we're the ones out there playing," said Duckett.
"It's very easy to sit there as a supporter and want to see more cricket. I think they saw quite a good day's cricket in the short amount of time there was. That is living and playing cricket in England. They're the conditions."
Watch day three of the third and final Test between England and Sri Lanka at Lord's, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.15am on Saturday September 7 (first ball, 11am).
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