Ollie Pope marked his return to the middle-order with an enterprising and inventive 77 to rescue England from a tricky position in Christchurch – does it present them with an awkward question in 2025?
There were several strands to the eye-catching decision to throw debutant Jacob Bethell into the deep end at three. Most obviously, the belief shown in Bethell that he has the raw tools to survive in a position he has never previously occupied in first-class cricket. Incidentally, there were echoes of Pope's own debut in 2018 when the then 20-year-old was picked at four against India at Lord's with no prior professional experience that high in the order.
Another aspect to it was the decision to create a vacancy at three in the first place. When Ben Foakes was unavailable for the first Test of the 2022 Pakistan tour, Pope took the gloves last minute and retained his usual position at three. In this instance, perhaps due to that experience from two years – in the second innings in Rawalpindi, he faced the third ball of the innings having just kept for 155.3 overs – but also perhaps due to his recent mixed form, Pope was moved down to No. 6.
It is has been a strikingly weird year for Pope, one that started with what was immediately regarded as one of the best hundreds ever scored in spin-friendly conditions, a simply stunning 196 to set the Hyderabad Heist in motion. It's featured two other Test hundreds and today's 77 at Christchurch. But the periods between those four innings have seen Pope struggle in the extreme – his 22 other knocks in 2024 have seen him register just three other scores in excess of 30. More often than not, Pope makes the most of his good starts. The issue has been how few and far between those good starts have been made.
Ollie Pope has never been a natural first drop. He started his county career by scoring mountainous quantities of runs at six, and his early success in Test cricket came between five and seven. Pope's move to three in 2022 was the first of many punts made by Stokes and McCullum and on the whole it's paid off – his average there remains 40 even after an up and down year.
At the time, it was the most obvious way of fitting him into the side. Pope had surrendered his place in the side over the course of 2021 and with Jonny Bairstow back in the runs over the 2021/22 winter at five, Ben Foakes handed the gloves, and Joe Root firm in his desire to bat four, it was the only way to get him back into the XI.
It's definitely been a net success, offering more than a semblance of security in a position England have struggled to fill for the best part of a decade. But even among several excellent performances, the sense has remained that it has been awkward fit.
Pope is an infamously busy starter, desperate to feel ball on bat and get the scoreboard ticking from ball one. It's a philosophy that is at odds with the the conditions a No.3 normally faces. Even under England's most stable opening pair since Strauss and Cook, Pope has almost always come to the crease in the first 15 overs of an innings. In fact, in 2024, only once has England's number three walked in after the 15-over mark. That exposes Pope to that harder and newer ball where there are periods where the aim of the game should be, on occasion at least, to absorb pressure when ball is dominating bat.
Pope is at his best when he is creative and proactive. At Christchurch today, he was prolific behind square on the off side, often contorting himself into unusual positions to best use the extra pace and bounce on offer to his advantage.
One of the fastest ever to 2,000 Test runs.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) November 29, 2024
Only one Englishman has got to the landmark in fewer innings than Brook.
See the full list of the quickest to 2,000 Tests runs here: https://t.co/qbiVmuv8Sd pic.twitter.com/6a01CLNxCJ
A key aspect of the England comeback was their scoring rate once conditions eased out. Batting was genuinely difficult in the opening 25 overs of their innings, with the ball darting around off the seam and swinging through the air more than it had for the England bowlers on the first morning.
But once conditions changed in the batters' favour, Pope and Brook made hay, scoring at nearly five runs an over for more than a session together – the consequence being that by the time the second new ball becomes available for the hosts, England will already be at parity.
Given Pope's knock and Bethell's early resistance in extremely challenge circumstances in the morning, it is likely England will stick with this line-up for the full series. With potentially five innings to come, more success could encourage a permanent move down to six with the gloves, essentially swapping roles with his Surrey teammate Jamie Smith when he returns to the fold in 2025.
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