England’s vice-captain, Ollie Pope, addressed the scrutiny he faced after a string of low scores, reflecting on his recent performance against India at Headingley where he scored a century. In a press conference following Day 3, Pope spoke about returning to his natural game, a move that has helped him regain his best batting form. Despite suggestions to replace him with Jacob Bethell at the number three position, the team backed Pope’s experience.
Pope stated, “I’ve tried not to let it affect me too much, to be honest. I’m well aware there’s probably a fair bit that’s been said, but for me, I’ve just been trying to make sure my game’s in as good a place as possible, and when I get in, I try to make sure I make the most of it.”
He added, “I’ve tried to let the outside noise do its thing and just try to make sure my game keeps improving, and I get my headspace in a good place too.”
Pope also reflected on the early challenges of the series, saying, “Look, it’s early in the series, and there’s a lot of stuff to be done. And I think I’ve had some really good series, and I’ve had some not-so-good series, so I think that’s just kind of the way.”
“I guess starting at number 3, you might get a ball with your name on it, and you might think I’m out of nick when you’re not. I think my approach is just trying to take each game as it comes and, yeah, hopefully, continue cementing that spot,” he concluded.