The England squad for the Ashes series witnessed a change in the leadership group as Harry Brook was appointed as the deputy of Ben Stokes for the Australia tour, replacing the otherwise in-charge Ollie Pope. Pope’s leadership in Stokes’ absence was questioned ever since he failed to keep the home team’s 2-1 lead against India as the Shubman Gill side won the final Test at the Oval to level the series two-all.
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However, the Surrey batter feels the mounting pressure on him to secure his place in the playing XI has made him more prepared for the Ashes Down Under.
“It’s been good for me to have learned that under the most pressure, I’ve been able to deliver. I know I can deal with that and get the best out of myself at times. Everyone wants to be the first name on the team-sheet, that’s pretty clear, but at the same time we’re playing international sport,” Pope was quoted as saying by Sky Sports ahead of the first Ashes Test.
“I’ve got to remind myself of that at times, that there’s always going to be someone on your heels if you haven’t quite scored the volume of runs that you would have liked. I’ve got so used to those conversations being had and seeing them. I don’t go looking for them but it’s pretty hard to avoid sometimes. I’m learning to live with it and put my best foot forward. I’ll try and use the pressures that I’m under and make sure I get the best out of myself,” he added.
Pope averages 15.70 against Australia. His spot at No. 3 was under the scanner and was receiving a direct threat from Jacob Bethell; however, his knocks of 100 and 90 in the one-off warm-up match ahead of Friday’s first Test in Perth have pretty much guaranteed his spot.
During the 2021/22 Ashes Down Under, Pope managed just 67 runs, averaging 11.16 in three Tests and was dropped after the first two Tests before being restored for the final match.
Pope believes he has complete clarity on how he wants to play in the challenging conditions of Australia.
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“I got dropped pretty quickly in the last [away Ashes] series and rightly so at the time. I just wasn’t as clear about how I wanted to play. I didn’t know my game well enough and I didn’t know the conditions like I thought I might have known them,” he said.
“I think I’ve probably learnt how to bat a bit more on these pitches. Growing up and getting used to playing these big series and games helps. For me, I’ve got complete clarity in how I want to go. I’ve played 61 Tests now…I’ve got that in the bank. There are guys experiencing places like Australia for the first time and my senior spot in the team is about leaning on those guys and helping them out because I have experienced what an Ashes tour can be like,” added Pope.
