Bess and Pope lead way into a new era

With Sibley and Crawley also shining, the future is bright, writes Nick Hoult in Port Elizabeth

Joe Root ordered his players to stand back and let Ollie Pope and Dom Bess lead the team off the field at Port Elizabeth after the next generation took a big step forward in this match. Pope’s century and Bess’s six wickets in the match followed Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley providing England’s longest first-innings opening partnership for 11 years.

All of a sudden, the wind of change is blowing through the England dressing room. Root has been here before. After the win in Sri Lanka before Christmas 2018, it was felt he was finally stamping his mark on the side. But that team still leant heavily on players who predated Root as captain, and the positivity evaporated when the Ashes remained in Australian hands.

Youth always brings energy and Pope, Sibley, Bess, Crawley and Sam Curran have re-energised the environment. With Jofra Archer and Rory Burns to add when fit, there is the basis of a team forming.

Pope is the most complete player of the group at this stage, with a technique that looks well equipped to stand up to any conditions and shares so much with a young Root. It is a question of whether he can be consistent and cope with the added burden of expectation.

Sibley has technical issues against pace and spin. He is also working hard on his fitness. Nicknamed “The Fridge”, Sibley is another to emerge from county cricket a long way from being fit enough for Test level.

Bess was gifted wickets in the first innings by batsmen who did not try to sweep or put him off his lengths. He was outbowled by Root after the captain enforced the follow-on. Sri Lankan batsmen will give him tougher times in March and he will not have many easier Tests than this, but the confidence he has gained, and a competitive streak matched by a smart cricket brain, gives a lot of hope for his development.

Crawley is raw and playing only because of injury to Burns, but just being immersed in the England environment should be enough of an education.

The one aspect that unites this young generation is that each is eager to learn. Crawley only needs to ask Pope how that can be achieved. Pope was picked for the last tour to Sri Lanka but did not feature in the first team. However, he watched Ben Stokes train and told the management it made him realise how hard he would have to work at his game in all areas to be an international cricketer. That attitude left an impression.

It helps that Sibley, Pope and Curran have all emerged from the Surrey academy and are friends. Normally, at the end of play, England head coach Chris Silverwood addresses the group. But after Pope’s hundred on day two, he stepped aside and allowed Curran to conduct the team talk. He paid tribute to Pope, strengthening the bond that England hope will tie this generation together over the next few years.

Each has bought into the team environment. Culture is a word you often hear used by Root, Eoin Morgan and Ashley Giles. Their motto of courage, unity and respect is drummed into the team. The value of a player’s central contract is partly based on how they uphold those traits. Their annual performance review includes a score out of five for protecting the team’s culture, a move initiated after the Bristol incident and allegations of boozing on the last Ashes tour. Any young player who breaks the midnight curfew or behaves immaturely behind the scenes will not last long.

Committing to youth involves creating an environment where failure is tolerated, something that is always easier to safeguard after a victory like the one in Port Elizabeth. Morgan managed it in the one-day side, insisting he wanted his team to buy into a method of playing, and not let early setbacks cloud the longerterm view.