Ollie Pope’s Versatility and Value Highlighted in England’s Test Campaign

Ollie Pope holds the distinction of being the last England wicketkeeper to achieve an overseas Test century, a feat he accomplished in Rawalpindi in 2022. Two years prior, during England’s tour of Pakistan, Pope was asked to deputize as wicketkeeper despite lacking his own equipment, necessitating him to borrow gear from Ben Foakes. While Pope did not extend his record of being the most recent England keeper to score an overseas Test hundred during Friday’s play in Christchurch, his innings of 77 on the second day of the first Test against New Zealand served as a clear demonstration of his importance. This performance followed a flawless 91 overs behind the stumps as the stand-in gloveman. He was instrumental in rescuing England from a precarious position of 71-4, guiding them to 319-5, just 29 runs adrift of the opposition’s total. Over the past two months, Pope has taken on multiple roles for England, serving as captain, vice-captain, wicketkeeper, opener, number three, and number six. The only team responsibility England has not assigned to Pope is driving the team bus, a task rendered unnecessary as the players are navigating Christchurch using escooters. This period has also been marked by a degree of misfortune for Pope. During England’s score of 823-7 in Pakistan, a total so large it would require a vidiprinter to spell it out, Pope was dismissed for a duck. Furthermore, his use of the Decision Review System (DRS) led to the quip, “dreadful reviews, skipper.” It was perhaps unsurprising, then, that on a day when New Zealand’s fielders struggled, dropping six catches, Pope became the victim of an extraordinary, “gravity-bending worldie” catch by Glenn Phillips. Harry Brook, who benefited from four of those dropped catches en route to his 132 not out, offered an apology to Pope as he left the field. Pope, however, maintained a pragmatic outlook, acknowledging that 77 runs was a significant score given he had not surpassed 30 since September. “In Pakistan, I missed out on a real flat one and then wasn’t able to find a way as well as I would’ve liked in the other two Tests,” he informed BBC Sport. “I looked within at how I can keep taking my game forward. I worked hard in between series so it’s nice to see the rewards and hopefully I can kick on throughout the rest of the series.” The year 2024 has unfolded in a peculiar manner for the 26-year-old. Pope’s score of 196 in the year’s opening Test, contributing to an all-time great victory against India in Hyderabad, will forever be remembered as one of the finest innings played by an Englishman overseas. However, his performances have largely been characterized by extremes: two additional centuries but little else of note. Despite his runs in Christchurch, Pope holds the undesirable record for the lowest average, 33.73, among any Test batter who has scored three centuries in a single calendar year. A persistent issue for Pope has been establishing himself at the crease and surviving long enough to build a substantial score. In 48 of his 88 Test innings, Pope has been dismissed within 30 deliveries. Pope would undoubtedly appreciate the composure displayed by Jacob Bethell, who appeared completely unfazed in his temporary role at number three in Christchurch. Whether the 21-year-old should be batting so high in the order, or indeed be in the team at all, remains a subject of debate. Despite scoring only 10 runs, he did not seem out of his depth against high-quality bowling in challenging conditions. In his pursuit of greater serenity, Pope has sought guidance from his Surrey confidant, Alec Stewart, a figure renowned for his own versatility. Stewart served as England captain, vice-captain, keeper, and batted in every position from one to seven. He also bowled a few overs during the 1994 tour of the West Indies. “Rather than allowing voices and noises to slow me down, it was more about what I can do to be a better player,” Pope stated. “It’s just that calmness at the crease and I had that today. I probably spent too long looking elsewhere, rather than within. There’s always going to be criticism, there’s always going to be a lot of voices and that’s fine. It’s just being at peace with that, rather than worrying too much about what people say.” It was generally anticipated that Pope would make a batting contribution in Christchurch. Batting lower down the order at number six is considered less demanding than at number three, and his focus on wicketkeeping duties may have alleviated some of the pressure associated with scoring runs. England has faced legitimate scrutiny for selecting an imbalanced squad for the New Zealand tour, notably including three spinners but no specialist reserve wicketkeeper. This selection left them vulnerable when Jordan Cox sustained a broken thumb. Pope, consistently a team player, compensated for this oversight with a flawless performance behind the stumps. Although he is no higher than fourth-choice keeper at Surrey, he is not entirely inexperienced. He is scheduled to keep wicket for the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash, and his nine first-class matches as a keeper surpass Cox’s six. Even with Ollie Robinson of Durham arriving as cover on Saturday, Pope might now be confirmed as the wicketkeeper for the remainder of the series. This flexibility could benefit England in the future, potentially freeing up a squad position for a much-needed reserve opener. “I obviously don’t do a lot of keeping, but if I can be someone that can do it, we don’t necessarily have to take a spare keeper on tour,” he explained. “It’s a skillset I want to have for myself, but also for the team.” Nevertheless, regardless of whether he is acting as captain, keeper, or even kit man, Pope’s primary responsibility is to score runs. It is difficult to envision England securing victories in major series, such as the Ashes in Australia, without his significant contributions with the bat. His recent success at number six might have reignited discussions about his optimal batting position. He averages 40 at number three, which is at least eight runs higher than any other position he has batted in. However, among all England players who have played at least 40 innings at first-drop, only Mark Butcher, Ian Bell, and Johnny Tyldesley possess a lower average than Pope. Unless Bethell delivers an exceptionally compelling performance on this tour, Pope is expected to revert to number three once father-to-be Jamie Smith resumes wicketkeeping duties. There could, however, be scope for flexibility. This writer has previously suggested Smith as a number three, while Michael Vaughan has proposed that teams with multiple wicketkeepers could rotate the gloves during Tests to mitigate fatigue. A significant advantage for Pope is his eagerness to undertake the role. English cricket currently lacks an abundance of top-order batters who are consistently demanding Test selection. Even Joe Root, widely regarded as the greatest of all time and the most qualified, is disinclined to bat at number three. “I love number three,” Pope affirmed. “Being able to get through those tough times is what I want to be doing. I pride myself on being at three, where you’ve got such an opportunity to set up a whole game for your team. If you can get through that tricky period, then that’s something I really want to do.” Perhaps Pope has now navigated his own challenging period.