RISING STAR POPE IS CALLED UP FOR SECOND TEST
Ollie, 20, is the latest of Ed’s bold moves
ENGLAND made another bold move yesterday when Ollie Pope was named in a 13-man squad for the second Test against India at Lord’s — the third 20-year-old newcomer to be introduced this season. The latest member of Surrey’s golden crop of youngsters follows Somerset’s Dominic Bess and Pope’s friend and county team-mate Sam Curran in being brought into Test cricket by new national selector Ed Smith. Pope and Chris Woakes join the squad who defeated Virat Kohli’s side at Edgbaston for the dropped Dawid Malan and Ben Stokes, who this morning will be in Bristol Crown Court on a charge of affray. So important do England consider Stokes that they will add him to the squad should there today be an adjournment to his case or it finishes early but at the moment they do not expect to see him at Lord’s.
THis is more like it. This is more like the bold, exciting and imaginative approach we were supposed to be getting when the apparently adventurous Joe Root replaced the seemingly conservative Alastair Cook as England Test captain.
it did not work out that way last year when a selection panel that appeared to be following a different agenda to coach Trevor Bayliss — who kept on advocating Jos Buttler — picked uninspiring players like Gary Ballance and Liam Dawson.
Now everything is different. New national selector Ed smith, a surprising choice by Andrew strauss ahead of the favourite Andy Flower, has been a revelation in picking 20-year- olds Dom Bess and sam Curran and ‘white-ball specialists’ like Buttler and Adil Rashid. Now comes his boldest move yet.
Ollie Pope ( right), another 20-year- old, has made only 15 first- class appearances and has never appeared in the top five in Championship cricket but has been picked by smith and company to replace No 4 Dawid Malan for the second Test.
When the white smoke appeared over England’s Birmingham hotel yesterday smith, his new sidekick James Taylor, Bayliss and Root had selected the latest exceptional young player to emerge from surrey’s conveyor belt.
And the mood appears to have rubbed off on Root who, frankly, has been a disappointment as captain so far but who led the team impressively at Edgbaston, especially on a last morning where he did everything right.
Pope will now join his fellow Oval protege — Edgbaston man of the match sam Curran — and there are more to come, like their team-mates Amar Virdi and Ryan Patel, from the academy of the Championship leaders who are setting the example for English cricket to follow.
‘Ollie has made an exceptional start to his first- class career and has been the division’s standout batsman this year,’ said smith. ‘The panel believe Ollie’s performances and character suggest he is well suited to international cricket.’
He has certainly looked the part in making 684 runs in the Championship this season at an average of 85.50, which includes three centuries and a top score of 158 not out. He also impressed with an unbeaten half- century for the England Lions against india A before the first Test, which confirmed his place ahead of another exciting young batsman, Worcestershire’s Joe Clarke. What’s more, a young player who emerged first as a wicketkeeper before an outstanding last year at Cranleigh school two years ago has been picked as much on character as on his prodigious batting ability. ‘We would do a lot of sessions on the bowling machine with him wanting the speed up to at least 90 miles per hour, 10 or 15mph quicker than it would be for most good schoolboy players,’ Pope’s former director of cricket at Cranleigh, stuart Welch, told Sportsmail. ‘He’s spent years developing his paddle scoops and ramp shots. Originally i thought he would be marked down for one - day cricket but he has come on rapidly in all forms of the game.
‘it’s interesting that he really hasn’t played much club or second-team cricket. in the past surrey haven’t always been as keen to give chances to younger players so Alec stewart deserves a lot of credit. i think last winter in Australia helped him too.
‘Ollie’s temperament is excellent. He’s deeply competitive but he’s also a decent and humble sort of lad who has time for other people. He played a full part in the school outside cricket.’
it was while Pope was in Australia playing grade cricket for Campbelltown last winter that he even came to the attention of the New south Wales parliament, with local MP and club stalwart Chris Patterson commending him in the sydney house. ‘Off the field he has been an absolute gentleman and a wonderful role model,’ said Patterson. Praise indeed from an Australian.
Now the question will be where Pope fits into smith’s brave new world. The absence of Ben stokes through his appearance at Bristol Crown Court creates the usual question of balance with Chris Woakes, brought into the squad for stokes, and Moeen Ali effectively competing with the surrey youngster for two places.
it is unlikely Pope would bat higher than six in stokes’s place, which would mean perhaps Moeen at five or as high as four if England do not want to move Jonny Bairstow. And if Woakes misses out it would mean England having only three seamers, with Curran backing up stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson.
Whatever combination England come up with, Bayliss knows they cannot allow their thrilling first Test victory to camouflage the problems that still haunt them.
‘it will be interesting to see who can step up and take stokes’s place,’ said Bayliss after saturday’s 31-run win. ‘someone will have to put in the extra yards. We have things to work on, batting-wise and catching-wise. Hopefully we’ll have that confidence at Lord’s.’
ENGLAND (v India at Lord’s): Root (capt), Ali, Anderson, Bairstow (wkt), Broad, Buttler, Cook, Curran, Jennings, Pope, Porter, Rashid, Woakes.