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[VIDEOS] Ollie Pope - Performance Watch

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England National Cricket Selectors have made two changes to the squad for the second Specsavers Test match against India at Lord’s starting on Thursday August 9.

Surrey middle-order batsman Ollie Pope replaces Middlesex’s Dawid Malan and Warwickshire seamer Chris Woakes returns to the squad in place of Durham’s Ben Stokes, who faces a court hearing this coming week in Bristol.

England Test squad

CPT Joe Root

Moeen Ali

James Anderson

WKT Jonny Bairstow

Stuart Broad

Jos Buttler

Alastair Cook

Sam Curran

Keaton Jennings

Ollie Pope

Jamie Porter

Adil Rashid

Chris Woakes

Pope, the 20-year-old, has been in excellent form for Surrey as they lead the Specsavers County Championship Division One. Since the start of the season, he has scored 684 runs in the Championship, at an average of 85.50, which includes three centuries and a top score of 158 not out. The right-handed batsman has also benefitted from the ECB’s International Pathway. He was a regular in the Young Lions squads during 2016-17 and played for the Lions in their first-class fixture against India A last month where he scored 50 not out in a 253 runs victory at Blackfinch New Road, Worcester.

Commenting on the selection of the squad, National Selector Ed Smith, said:

“Ollie Pope has made an exceptional start to his first class career. He has reached a 1000 first class runs in just 15 matches and is the first division’s stand-out batsman this season with 684 runs at 85. The selection panel believe that Ollie’s performances and character suggest he is well suited to international cricket.

“Dawid Malan drops out of the squad for Lord’s. Dawid has not found his best rhythm this season, and it may be that his game is better suited to overseas conditions.

“Ben Stokes is unavailable, but Chris Woakes, with some extra matches and practices under his belt, can now return to the England squad after injury.”
 
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Wow a 20 year old batsman on the verge of making test debut for England. This was unthinkable a decade ago. All the best to him.

England still looks very strong specially in bowling
 
What is Joss Buttler doing in the test team. Englands best batting at home is with Stokes at 6, Bairstowe at 7 and Ali at 8.
 
Cook
Jennings
Root
Pope
Bairstow +
Buttler
Ali
Curran
Woakes
Broad
Anderson

Woakes, Curran, Broad and Anderson are all wicket takes. So no use of Rashid, again it's not like he took wickets anyway. To be more precise he didn't even bowl, let alone take wickets. So Ali should come in, a better batsman than Rashid and a better player of spin.

Anderson
Broad
Woakes
Curran
Ali

That's a well round attack there. No need to 5 wicket taking options, 4 wicket taking seamers and one support spinner is good enough.
 
Thought Malan would get 1 more game but he has been very poor recently so not that much of a surprise. Don't know much about Pope it will be interesting to see him in action if he gets a game.

Woakes looks likely to replace Stokes with Buttler batting at 6.
Woakes
 
Kohli said:
Cook
Jennings
Root
Pope
Bairstow +
Buttler
Ali
Curran
Woakes
Broad
Anderson

Woakes, Curran, Broad and Anderson are all wicket takes. So no use of Rashid, again it's not like he took wickets anyway. To be more precise he didn't even bowl, let alone take wickets. So Ali should come in, a better batsman than Rashid and a better player of spin.

Anderson
Broad
Woakes
Curran
Ali

That's a well round attack there. No need to 5 wicket taking options, 4 wicket taking seamers and one support spinner is good enough.
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Pope will come in and if one ali/ stokes will replace stokes . Rashid will play cos it doesn’t make sense to drop him .After one match
 
I dont see what Buttler brings to a test team as a batsman only. There is no doubt he can hit it a mile but his defence is non existent for a test player. His dismissal in the 1st innings was awful.
 
I would keep Rashid because he seems to have the measure of India's tailenders. England have struggled against the tail
 
That'll probably be the last thing Malan drops
 
That's a big gamble by England, not that Malan didn't deserve dropping but that Ollie making his debut v India in a Test series.
 
Buttler as a WK makes sense, but as a specialist batsman he is wasting a spot I reckon.
 
What a selection, Ollie Pope. Awesome FC statistics, could smash India out of the series.
 
Malan bhai has been in decline ever since he skipped PSL :mv
 
I've noticed how England selectors have recently started breaking an age old trend of selecting seasoned county players and have started selecting many young players. I think they've probably realized there just aren't many good experienced players in the first place after the failures of Ballance, Malan, Vince, Westley and that endless line of openers.

Pope, Dom Bess, Mason Crane are all 20. Haseeb Hameed and Sam Curran are 19. There's Joe Clarke who's 22 and touted as the next great English batsmen. All could become great future players.
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
I've noticed how England selectors have recently started breaking an age old trend of selecting seasoned county players and have started selecting many young players. I think they've probably realized there just aren't many good experienced players in the first place after the failures of Ballance, Malan, Vince, Westley and that endless line of openers.

Pope, Dom Bess, Mason Crane are all 20. Haseeb Hameed and Sam Curran are 19. There's Joe Clarke who's 22 and touted as the next great English batsmen. All could become great future players.
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Haseeb is 21
 
Exactly what I wanted. Ollie Pope is an exceptional talent and hopes he does well. Ali not coming in for Stokes is wise, as you'd want a seamer and Woakes is a very good player. These are the 2 changes I'd have also made. England only have a weakness in their opening spot now that Malan is dropped, while it feels like Buttler just needs to focus on playing his shots. He's definitely under the cosh but I wouldn't drop him as he's still new to the Test side.
 
idrizzy said:
Exactly what I wanted. Ollie Pope is an exceptional talent and hopes he does well. Ali not coming in for Stokes is wise, as you'd want a seamer and Woakes is a very good player. These are the 2 changes I'd have also made. England only have a weakness in their opening spot now that Malan is dropped, while it feels like Buttler just needs to focus on playing his shots. He's definitely under the cosh but I wouldn't drop him as he's still new to the Test side.
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Exactly. Woakes needs to play.He is a good batsman and can play as well as Stokes/Ali. Plus England are desperate for a right hander to counter Ashwin. Secondly Woakes can run through India with his swing. Do not think Ali will do the same considering india have right handers ( irrespective of his good record)
 
This new England selector likes to think out of the box, has a more radical approach to selection.

Pope is a good move, he's young, fearless and in great form. He is also a right hander and playing for Surrey will be used to dry pitches, spin while England play at the Oval in the series too.

Im not sure the selectors view on ODI stars being bought into test cricket, it's a different format but th ain issue is LOI players dont always have the technique against the moving or spinning ball. Butler will get 60 off 40 now and again but can he come in with wickets down and grind out a 50 off 100 balls? I would rather have a proper batsmen who is difficult to get out.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thanks for the kind messages&#55357;&#56908;&#55356;&#57339; Over the moon to be picked in the squad for this second test! <a href="https://twitter.com/englandcricket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@englandcricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/sHmW1932jG">pic.twitter.com/sHmW1932jG</a></p>— Ollie Pope (@OPope32) <a href="https://twitter.com/OPope32/status/1026156712154345473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Trevor Bayliss, the England head coach, has called on his players to “pick up the slack” at Lord’s this week as Ben Stokes, one of their match-winners from the thrilling first Test with India, misses the game to attend his trial in Bristol.

Stokes is due in court on Monday after he and co-defendants Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale pleaded not guilty to a charge of affray in relation to an alleged incident in the Clifton area of the city last September. When he returns to international duty will depend on the Cricket Discipline Committee, which is due to convene after the conclusion of legal proceedings.

In the meantime, and with the second Test against Virat Kohli’s India team starting on Thursday, Joe Root’s side must perform without their talismanic all-rounder, whose demeanour during the series opener at Edgbaston was described as “golden” by Bayliss after his three wickets on the final morning sealed the 31-run win.

“It means that someone else has got to take up the slack,” said Bayliss, who will now oversee an England squad that welcomes back Chris Woakes from injury as the replacement for Stokes, with Surrey’s 20-year-old uncapped right-hander Ollie Pope taking the spot vacated by the decision to drop Dawid Malan. “It will be interesting to see who can step up and take [Stokes’s] place,” the England head coach said. “Someone, or two or three guys, have to do the extra yards. That will be a telling factor for the next match.”

Bayliss also played down fears that such a high-profile case running in parallel to a Test could prove a distraction to his players, and he pointed to the absence of Stokes during the winter Ashes series as guiding this view.

“I’ve got no concerns about it,” Bayliss said. “Ben has no concerns about it as well. Obviously, it’s something we would have liked to have not been happening. That was the same in Australia. But the boys just got on with it. There was a bit of chat before the series but once we got there it was about playing as well as we can.”

Looking ahead to the Lord’s Test, Bayliss said his players were “under no illusions” about needing to work on their batting and catching – four chances went down at Edgbaston, albeit with the now-discarded Malan responsible for three of them – but the head coach was encouraged by a bowling performance that exposed some Indian frailties against the Dukes ball. One man reprieved by England’s profligacy was Kohli, who en route to a masterful 149 in India’s first innings was put down by Malan on 21 and 51. With exactly 200 runs across the Test – nearly half his side’s output – the right‑hander has now usurped Steve Smith, the suspended former Australia captain, as the world’s No 1 Test batsman.

As a result, Bayliss is keen for his bowlers to keep the remainder of the Indian batting order down at Lord’s and thus heighten the expectations on Kohli. England’s lineup, though, could be viewed as having similar deficiencies and not least against spin, with Ravi Ashwin fresh from seven wickets including Alastair Cook bowled twice.

Bayliss said: “We’ve got a few guys who are not cemented in the team and that puts extra pressure on people like Root, Jonny Bairstow and those guys to make the big scores. I don’t think it’ll be any different for India. The way Kohli played was high-class stuff. If we can put pressure on the others, that’s going to add to the pressure on him.

“When the ball’s moving, we’ve shown that a few of their guys do struggle. I’m sure that they’ll be going away working out how they can play it, as we’re working on how to play the off-spin.”

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/aug/05/trevor-bayliss-england-ben-stokes-india-second-test
 
Looking forward to see how Pope does.A lot of talk around him so lets see if he's given the debut cap.
 
Arham_PakFan said:
Looking forward to see how Pope does.A lot of talk around him so lets see if he's given the debut cap.
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His batting reminds me a little bit of Ian Bell, especially his flick through midwicket.
 
First Sam and now Pope, bold moves by ECB selectors, you want to through Youngs gun at early age to the top level, no better time than home season to induct them... Considering how poor was Milan recently, they did not had to think too much...

As I said earlier, India miss the trick of not inducting young players to test and odi squad. Too much IPL performance is weighing on their squad, that is costing them in real test matches...Their batting minus Kohli is horrible...
 
Another youngster who will hit a hundred vs India on debut.
 
After enduring years of an unadventurous and often nondescript selection policy, England fans can at least now look forward to the announcement of each new squad. Some bigger risks are being taken and this will keep the established players on their toes. Not many players look undroppable now - probably just Root, Anderson, Stokes and Cook.
 
England make contingency plans to rush Ben Stokes to Lord's should court case finish early or be adj

Ben Stokes is due to appear at Bristol Crown Court on Monday morning charged with affray leaving his England colleagues to prepare for the second Test against India this week without him.

England have made contingency plans to rush Stokes back up to Lord’s and into the team if the case is adjourned at the last minute or finishes earlier than the five to seven days set aside for the trial.

The second Test starts on Thursday and realistically England will have to make a final call on Wednesday afternoon.

“You wouldn’t have known there was anything coming up. He’s been absolutely golden,” said Trevor Bayliss, the England coach.

“It will be interesting to see who can step up and take his place. Someone, or two or three guys, will have to step up and do the extra yards. That will be a telling factor for the next match.

England are used to life without Stokes. He missed the entire Ashes series last winter and was injured for the second Test against Pakistan earlier this summer.

But they would not have beaten India at Edgbaston without his bowling. He rallied the team on Saturday morning with the dismissal of Virat Kohli just as India looked to be nosing ahead in the tight run chase and took three wickets in a match-winning spell.

“Obviously it’s something we would have liked to have not been happening,” said Bayliss. “That was the same in Australia. But the boys in Australia just got on with it.

"There was a bit of chat before the series started (about losing Stokes for Lord’s) but once we’ve got out there it has been about playing as well as we possibly can with the guys we’ve got.”

Stokes is charged with affray along with two other men, Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale, following an incident in Bristol city centre on Sept 25 last year. A 27 year-old man allegedly suffered a fractured eye socket in the incident.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket...ntingency-plans-rush-ben-stokes-lords-should/
 
I feel Chris Woakes is a good replacement for Stokes. As good a bowler, in fact better especially with the slope. Push Butler to number 6, Curran at 7 , Woakes at 8 and Rashid at 9. You have 5 proper bowlers with batting going till number 9
 
Hoping to see my fav Woakes aka Tyrell from Mr. Robot back in the team.
 
More over than Malan, Jennings should also be a concern for England.

He has a poorer average than Malan in 8 tests he has played with just 1 fifty and 1 hundred, where as Malan has 15 tests with 6 fifties and 1 hundred and a slightly better average.

Finding a good test opener has been an issue for them since Strauss retired. It does not help either with Cook finding it hard too to score runs.
 
I don’t think Malan has the front foot technique to profit against good swingers.

Drop Cook, push Bairstow up to open and give the gloves to Foakes.
 
Some bold steps by English selectors recently. Buttler, Rashid, Curran, Pope. Personally I am a fan of inducting youngsters. Much better than recycling garbage which Pak did for a long time under Misbah, Waqar and Afridi. Thankfully it has changed now under Mickey and Sarfraz.
 
'It's been a bit of a whirlwind - 20-year-old Ollie Pope discusses his England call-up

Brought into England's squad as a replacement for the dropped Dawid Malan, Ollie Pope is keen to stress that though he's only 20 years old, he's more than ready for the challenges of Test cricket.

After breaking through into Surrey's first team last year and notching 684 runs in just eight matches this season, Pope will be hoping to translate his fantastic first-class record to the Test arena. At just 20 years old, Pope has already hit four centuries in the English four-day game at an average of 63.25, and despite his relative inexperience, he has an opportunity here to stamp down his place in the side with some runs against India.

Addressing the media after being selected, Pope spoke about receiving the call from England selector Ed Smith.

"I was on my way to play in a T20 for Surrey at Essex," he said. "I had a flat tyre so I had to get a lift from a mate but I was in the car on my own, saw Ed Smith's name pop up and I had an idea what it might be about.

"From that moment I hardly remember the conversation, all I remember is it was a good one. I called my parents and had a quick chat with them and they were buzzing."

Despite predominantly batting at No. 6 for his county, and having only batted as high as No.5 in one first-class game, Pope is expected to slot in as a straight swap for Malan at No.4. However the youngster was keen to quash any notion that he might not be suited for the role.

"Against this Indian side, where they bowl a lot of spin, there's not much difference between batting at four and six. When I bat at six sometimes I come in in the 10th over and sometimes I come in with the second new ball."

He credited a winter spent playing grade cricket for Campbelltown-Camden in Sydney for his development. "I had a really good winter, I was on my own two feet in terms of my cricket. I didn't have a coach, so I had to work things out by myself, whether that was technical or asking people to chuck balls at me.

"Playing week in, week out on Saturdays and Sundays, getting to know my game better, that is massive for a young lad to do when you're trying to find your way in the game.

"Getting to know your strengths and weakness, learning from your dismissals but also the games you play well in and score runs in - it helped kick off the season pretty quickly. I didn't feel like it was the first game of the year."

Pope's Surrey team-mate Sam Curran was instrumental in England's win in the series against India at Edgbaston, earning the Player Of The Match award in just his second Test match. Pope hailed previous young headline-makers as prior examples of what is possible.

"I've had a good season so far and, from people I've spoken to, they've given me the confidence," Pope said. "Hopefully I take my chance and I have the confidence in my own game to take the next step.

"You hear the stories of some of the greats in the game and people like (Alastair) Cook, who was 20 (on debut). It's not like it hasn't been done before.

"I've played with him (Curran) since I was 14 and we have gone through the same path. The way he played last week has given me confidence that I can do it too and it's nice to do it with him."

Pope has now joined up with the squad before the second Test, but has been around the England team before, having been invited to spend a day with them in May for the first day of the Lord's Test against Pakistan.

"I met up with the England team last night (Monday 6 August) and we had dinner," he said. "It will be good to pick their brains, see what it was like for them when they were making their debuts and when they first got announced to the squad.

"It's been a bit of a whirlwind. I've played a lot of cricket (at Lord's) and I was here on the first morning of the Pakistan Test.

"I was around the changing room and had a hit at lunch so I had a bit of an idea what it was like to be here on the morning of a Test but it's a bit different when you're playing. It will be pretty special walking out, if I get the nod."

England host India in the second Test of the five-match series on Thursday 9 August at Lord's.

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/798437
 
James said:
After enduring years of an unadventurous and often nondescript selection policy, England fans can at least now look forward to the announcement of each new squad. Some bigger risks are being taken and this will keep the established players on their toes. Not many players look undroppable now - probably just Root, Anderson, Stokes and Cook.
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Very true, it's.much more dynamic and hopefully will rub on English players as well, already good effects are being seen on the LOI team.
 
If Benny is out, I would replace him with Dom Bess.

England saw the benefits of inducting a young player under fire in the First Test and to drop a player who took 3 wickets (top order) and scored a match-winning 49 is a crime.

He can bowl off-spin so he would compliment Rashid.
 
Let’s see how he does coming in at the inevitable 40-2.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Surely this has to change. Cook gets 20 and gets out <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cookout?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cookout</a></p>— Ollie Pope (@OPope32) <a href="https://twitter.com/OPope32/status/542973593991532545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2014</a></blockquote>
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I agree with Pope :srt
 
Abdullah719 said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Surely this has to change. Cook gets 20 and gets out <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cookout?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cookout</a></p>— Ollie Pope (@OPope32) <a href="https://twitter.com/OPope32/status/542973593991532545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2014</a></blockquote>
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I agree with Pope :srt
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He deleted this tweet I see :))

Good start so far, looking composed.
 
He did okay. Give him the rest of the series and see what happens.
 
The Ian Bell clone can play, but he needs to stop defending with an angled bat. It will make him vulnerable to the incoming delivery.
 
Bewal Express said:
Holy smoke
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I see ya...

anigif_enhanced-buzz-14018-1363201186-13.gif
 
Pleasantly surprised that we haven't given him the usual 'Welcome to International Cricket' 120 score yet.
 
Been thrown to the wolves by being asked to bat at 4 when he plays at 6 for Surrey.

Seems an expansive and aesthetically pleasing batsman but needs to be more patient especially against deliveries outside off.
 
Ashes 2019: England call up Ollie Pope as Jason Roy concussion cover

England have called up Surrey batsman Ollie Pope to be on standby for the third Ashes Test at Headingley if Jason Roy suffers a delayed concussion.

Opener Roy, 29, was struck on the head during net practice on Tuesday but is available to play as it stands after passing a concussion test.

Pope, 21, hit an unbeaten 221 against Hampshire in the County Championships on Wednesday before heading to Leeds.

Australia batsman Steve Smith will miss the third Test because of concussion.

Smith was hit on the neck by a 92mph bouncer from Jofra Archer on day four of the second Test and did not bat in the second innings after sustaining a delayed concussion, despite having passed an initial test to resume his first innings.

Marnus Labuschagne became Test cricket's first concussion substitute by batting in Smith's place on the final day as Australia held on to draw.

Australia lead the five-match series 1-0.

Pope made his Test debut in the second match against India at Lord's in 2018 and played the third Test at Trent Bridge before he was dropped.

He missed three months of this season after dislocating his shoulder in a One-Day Cup match against Essex in April before returning in the T20 Blast last month.

Having made scores of 4 and 69 in his sole County Championship match before injury, Pope hit 22 fours in scoring 221 off 337 balls over two days at The Oval this week.

He scored 986 runs at an average of 70.42, with four centuries, as Surrey won the Division One title last year.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/49421396
 
Ollie Pope is one of the most promising young batsmen in England at the moment.
 
Strange that Pope was not selected for the Ashes.

Has a an average of 70 in County Championship div 1 this season and averages 59 as his career average.

He scored a double in his last FC game. Should be in and batting at 5.
 
It is pathetic how Ollie Pope and Sibley are getting ignored by the selectors and Bairstow keeps getting a free run because he is mates with the skipper.
 
Bowledstow had been dining out on the South Africa tour for much too long. Rightly dropped.

Actually a very pleasing squad on the whole.

Looking forward to the Test matches.
 
leatherface58 said:
About damn time! I hope these two lads get a good, long run instead of getting dumped after 1-2 failures like Pope was dumped in his first go.
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Agreed. As [MENTION=1842]James[/MENTION] says it looks like a better squad now, more specialist batters and stronger bowling.
 
Excellent hundred from Ollie Pope - has put England in a very strong position
 
A great find for England.

Will play 20 tests or so at 6, they will then push him upto 3 or 4. Excellent management of him by England and Surrey. Surrey bat him at 4 in county cricket already.
 
Pope, Sibley, Burns - need two out of these three to become long term reliable batsmen for England. With four decent bats, ENG would be a much more difficult team to beat. Pope looks like he has the most potential out of these three, though I have been impressed with Burns’ knowledge of his own game and powers of concentration. Reminds me of good ole’ AC quite a lot!
 
FreePalestine said:
Pope, Sibley, Burns - need two out of these three to become long term reliable batsmen for England. With four decent bats, ENG would be a much more difficult team to beat. Pope looks like he has the most potential out of these three, though I have been impressed with Burns’ knowledge of his own game and powers of concentration. Reminds me of good ole’ AC quite a lot!
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all 3 are reliable batsmen and are quality against seam bowling. problem with burns is he is slightly old, 29 years. burns should have debuted 3-4 years earlier.

pope is going to be england''s best batsmen, he is better than root and will be compared to the fab four , of smith,williamson, kohli, etc.

england batting is pretty solid and can become champions if they find one more talented batsman
 
sindhiboy said:
all 3 are reliable batsmen and are quality against seam bowling. problem with burns is he is slightly old, 29 years. burns should have debuted 3-4 years earlier.

pope is going to be england''s best batsmen, he is better than root and will be compared to the fab four , of smith,williamson, kohli, etc.

england batting is pretty solid and can become champions if they find one more talented batsman
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I think sibely will struggle with quality spin
 
England’s best batting talent since Root.

It’s good that they are not batting him in the top order where he would be exposed to tougher conditions in the early stage of his career.
 
He has proved in South Africa,Newzealand,let's see what he does in Srilanka next month and in India next year.
 
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/cricket/ollie-pope-sets-sights-virat-21280206

Ollie Pope sets sights on Virat Kohli and Steve Smith in bid for Test greatness
Ollie Pope is out to join the world’s best when it comes to Test match batting, with Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and Joe Root in his sights.

It seems like a bold ambition for a 22-year-old without a Test hundred to his name.

But there wasn’t even a murmur of disagreement from those listening, who can see Pope’s potential.

After recovering from illness, there was a glimpse of what he has to offer in Cape Town, marshalling the tail in the first innings to make 61 not out.

This followed his 75 in Hamilton, suggesting he will be keeping rarified company soon enough.

“Ask any young batsman coming into the game who they want to compare themselves to and 100 per cent Virat Kohli and Steve Smith are the guys and Rooty (all below),” said Pope.

“When I was growing up, they were the guys you want to be like. They have been the main run scorers in international cricket over the last however many years.

“Hopefully I’ve got a game I can start building towards that and getting some big scores and follow in their footsteps.

“It’s something I’ve known I’ve had over the last year or so. I feel like I’ve got a lot of confidence and the technique and the mindset is there.

“I look about how they go about building their innings and I wouldn’t say I tried to copy their techniques, but the one thing they’ve all got in common is having those solid foundations.

“That’s what I’m trying to do as well, just nailing those basics, nailing the technique and then hopefully if I keep doing the right things the big scores will follow.”

The expectations on Pope’s shoulders are not too dissimilar to those placed on Ian Bell when he came through as a talented youngster and then managed to deliver as a high quality batsman and scorer of 22 Test tons.

Their styles have drawn favourable comparisons as two of the more pleasing strokemakers on the eye.

He added: “The first I heard of it I think was actually Andrew Strauss.

“When I went on the North/South series, he said, ‘Who’s your favourite player growing up’ and he said he expected me, to say Belly, but I said Adam Gilchrist and Alec Stewart as keeper-batters.

“I think he (Bell) is an amazing player and I used to love watching him bat but, it’s not been anything that I’ve tried to emulate. It’s a big compliment because he is a pretty class player to watch.”

Cricket lawmakers The MCC have given the proposals for mandatory four day Test cricket the thumbs down.

A statement read: “The MCC Cricket committee and MCC World Cricket committee have recently discussed the issue and although they can see some benefits that four-day Test cricket could bring, both committees believe that Test cricket should continue to be played over five days.”
 
Bit of a failure for Pope in 2nd Test also

Ollie Pope lbw b Roston Chase 7(8)
 
Three difficult innings, but this is Test cricket and you can’t succeed in every knock — this is just what happens.

After the sterling work he did in the winter, he deserves this whole summer to demonstrate what he can do.
 
James said:
Three difficult innings, but this is Test cricket and you can’t succeed in every knock — this is just what happens.

After the sterling work he did in the winter, he deserves this whole summer to demonstrate what he can do.
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Definitely!

But so weird how he missed that straight ball yesterday.

I hope he's not saving his runs for Pakistan!
 
England need to be patient with Pope. Somebody who has really impressive FC credentials deserves a pretty good run in the team.
 
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