Pope looks a real gem but do not rush him up batting order
Surrey player has the game for Test cricket, but will develop better at No6 rather than No3
Just because England are desperate to find a No3, it does not mean they should shift Ollie Pope up the order before he is ready.
Pope made a lovely maiden century in Port Elizabeth and immediately some prominent former players are saying promote him now. I disagree. Leave him where he is and let him settle in. At No6, he will bat a lot with England’s two best and most experienced players: Joe Root and Ben Stokes. He is bound to learn so much that will help him mature.
Pope definitely looks good and has a sound technique. He plays straight and close to his body, has smooth footwork forward or back. It is very important to be able to transfer your weight forward and back because genuine fast bowlers are not going to let you play forward all the time, particularly if you bat a lot against the new ball.
What impressed me most was
One-day mode: Ollie Pope batted with patience before moving the score on after reaching his century and (below) accepting his player-of-thematch award
his patience and concentration. So many young kids today grow up having to play lots of shots in Twenty20 and 50-over matches, so it becomes second nature to them.
As he neared his century, the South Africa bowlers set defensive fields, restricting run scoring in the hope that his concentration would waver. Yet he kept his cool, waiting for an easy ball to hit, and came through it.
He looked good in Cape Town and even better in Port Elizabeth, but it is easy to get carried away on early glimpses. Let him get his feet under the table. He does not bat at three regularly for Surrey and Test cricket is much tougher. A No3 has to be part-opening batsman – preparing for when an early wicket falls against some top fast bowlers fresh and with a new ball in their hands. The way England’s openers have been performing for some time, a No3 is almost certainly another opening batsman most of the time.
He will be OK at three if the openers have made a good start, giving him the freedom to play his normal game. We have seen he has the ability to play shots and work with the tail-enders, too. I would not do anything to upset his progress because we may have a little gem on our hands.
One important thing we have learnt from these three Tests is the value of having a spinner in your team. Without one in the first Test at Centurion, England lost easily. They had no variety.
In Cape Town, the off-spin of Dom Bess was so important. He bowled 60 overs into a stiff breeze, in searing heat over two innings, which helped our faster bowlers stay fresh and at the same time restricted the runs. It was a marvellous performance of flight and change of pace. Exactly what a spinner should do on a good pitch.
In Port Elizabeth, Bess was a match-winner in the first innings, getting the early batsmen out and putting the skids under South Africa. The South Africans played like novices on a slow, dry pitch with a bit of spin.
South Africans are so poor against the turning ball that Root’s occasional off-spin panicked some of them into playing awful shots. It proves cricket is better for having spinners bowl a good quantity of overs. It means better over rates, men around the bat, incidents, inside edges, catches and more gaps for batsmen to get their shots through. That is how cricket was meant to be played. In future, if anyone connected with England starts talking about going into a Test without a spinner, they should have their brain tested. Nobody should underestimate the value of winning the toss and a solid start by England’s first three batsmen. Yes, I am aware that all three got out when they had got in and none went on to make a big score, but it was better than being 30 for three,
This South African batting line-up is not very good, so England should win again in final Test
which has been happening far too often.
Even if it was a slow start, it put runs on the board and gave the England middle order a platform to build on. There are guys lower down who can move the score along later, as Stokes did fantastically.
This South African batting line-up is not very good, plus fast bowler Kagiso Rabada is banned for the Johannesburg Test, so England should win again.
Pace is an enormous weapon and, used well, it is a priceless asset. It unsettles batsmen and gets them out of their comfort zone. It was obvious to me that Mark Wood’s extra pace caused a lot of difficulty for all the batsmen. None played it well.
Do not let anyone tell you they like fast bowling, because it is not true. Maurice Leyland, the great Yorkshire and England left-hander, got it right when he said: “Nobody likes fast bowling. Some just play it better than others.”
On a slowish surface, Wood gave all the batsmen problems and, when batsmen are ill at ease at one end, they are liable to make mistakes at the other.
A fast bowler’s body takes a lot of strain and, sadly, Wood has a history of injury. Jofra Archer is raw, so people should cut him some slack. Give him time and do not expect too much too soon.
It may be wise for England to alternate them. Play one, rest one, so that the team always have an enforcer. Both have that special ingredient that all teams desire. Pace puts fear into some batsmen, so handle them with care, as one has a suspect body and one has youthful inexperience.