#olliepope

[offthebench]

Pope vs. Bethell - Who leads the race to be England's number three Down Under?

Despite staunch criticism and the meteoric rise of Jacob Bethell, Ollie Pope is still certain to feature for Ben Stokes' XI come the first Ashes Test in Perth on 21 November.

Pope's place in the side was already under scrutiny during the English summer, despite scores of 171 against Zimbabwe and 106 in the first Test against India. In his eight innings since, however, Pope has only managed one score of 50+ at an average of 25.

This reflects much of his career, where he has built a reputation of scoring big hundreds but never really found any consistency. Notably, since 2024, Pope has only averaged 35.04, but his 196 in Hyderabad is talked about as one of the all time great knocks for a touring batsman in India that set up England's first-Test victory.

The fait of BazBall in Australia also rests heavily on Pope. Untried and untested against such pace and bounce, you feel England will desperately need Pope to score well even if Joe Root overcomes his Aussie woes to score his first hundred Down Under. Other batters that have been handpicked for Australia, notably Zak Crawley and Jamie Smith, could thrive, but are also no guarantees given the temperance needed to thrive in such hostile conditions for five Test matches.

Then there is Jacob Bethell.

His explosion onto the scene in an England shirt has been seismic, having already captained in Ireland, scored a first ODI hundred and made three Test half-centuries at three in New Zealand all before the age of 22.

While Pope's technique has also been critcised by many as jittery and unnerving against what will be relentless lines and lengths from the likes of Pat Cummins, Scott Boland and Josh Hazlewood, Bethell, as a left hander with supreme talent who's demonstrated his temperance in New Zealand, only needs time in the middle to become what England see as their future across all formats.

In mind of all of this, though, I still believe Pope will 100% be the first name on the sheet come Perth because of one factor - Ben Stokes. If Stokes is fit, which seems increasingly likely, he will without doubt trust Pope to deliver, which he arguably has with an average of 39.98 since he took over the captaincy.

And even if he isn't fit, and newly-announced vice captain Harry Brook captains, Stokes will absolutely want Pope's experience, gained from both serving under him and in his place, out in the middle. Stokes himself said it would be "remarkable" if we saw Pope dropped during the India series, with Alastair Cook stating that such a "gamble" in Australia would easily "cause danger" to England's chances of regaining the Ashes.

In Stokes' absence, the obvious replacement for him would then be Bethell to feature at number 6, or to be in contention to play as a spin-bowling all-rounder should McCullum go with four seamers over playing Shoaib Bashir as a frontline spinner.

Either way, Pope is definitely set to feature in Perth, for what is being anticipated as the most highly anticipated Ashes series in Australia and England's best chances of victory since 2010/11, when England last claimed victory away in amazing fashion. Nonetheless, we will still all be praying to avoid another Rory Burns moment come the first ball from Mitchell Starc at the Optus Stadium.

Who will play in Perth?

Pope

Bethell

Both

Voting ended onOct 28, 2025

[cheelee1234]

🏏 Ollie Pope has finally broken his silence on England's Ashes nightmare and he's been refreshingly honest about it.

Speaking at Surrey's pre-season media day, Pope addressed the elephant in the room — the perception that England simply didn't care about the Ashes. A 4-1 series defeat, reports of excessive drinking during the Noosa break, Brook's nightclub incident in New Zealand before the series. The criticism was fierce and widespread.

Pope's response? He gets it. "The perception that we weren't fussed was probably the hard thing. All we wanted to do was go and win the Ashes." He acknowledged the criticism was understandable while pushing back firmly on the idea that England were mentally checked out.

His bigger point is actually worth listening to. England were genuinely competitive in Perth in that first Test — had day two gone differently, the entire series narrative shifts. But it didn't, and everything that came after — the off-field stories, the social media posts, the Noosa photos — made it impossible for England to control the story.

Pope was dropped after the third Test averaging just 20.83 across three games and that stings for a player of his ability. But he's not hiding from it — "I still feel like my best batting years are to come." That kind of confidence after a rough series is either delusional or the sign of someone who genuinely knows their game. Given how good Pope can be, it's probably the latter.

The ECB review is ongoing — tour preparation, individual performances, squad culture all under the microscope. The next Ashes is in 2027. England have time to fix this. But the questions are real and they need proper answers.

For full England cricket analysis and Ashes review coverage, head to 8jjcricket.com 🏏

[sportspediazone]

Final Frontier: India Eyes Series Equalizer as England Targets Home Glory

[sportsgr8]

2nd Test: Winning A Test In These Conditions Is Not Easy; Bowlers Stepped Up, Says Rohit Sharma

Rajasekhara Reddy ACA: After defeating England by 106 runs to win the second Test, India captain Rohit Sharma lauded the bowlers for stepping up to lead the team to victory in not-so-easy conditions. In day four’s play at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium on Monday, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and fast-bowler Jasprit Bumrah took three wickets each for India to defend 399 after bowling out England for 292. Bumrah, whose spell of 6-45 gave India a vital 171-run first-innings lead, was the pick of the bowlers again with his spell of 3-46. Bumrah finishes the Visakhapatnam Test with match figures of 9-91, which is also the best figures for an Indian fast-bowler on home soil in Tests against England. Ashwin bowled well to take 3-72 and is now just one wicket away from reaching 500 Test scalps. Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Mukesh Kumar took a wicket each in India bouncing back from the 28-run defeat in Hyderabad with an emphatic series-squaring victory at Visakhapatnam. "(Bumrah) He's a champion player for us, done the job for a while. When you win a game like that you have to look at the overall performance. We know that winning a Test match in these conditions is not going to be easy, the bowlers stepped up,” said Rohit after the match ended. With the bat, young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal made a majestic 209 in the first innings, and Rohit appreciated his efforts. "(Jaiswal) Looks like a very good player, understands his game. Got a long way to go, of course. It was an exceptional knock. He has a lot to offer the team, I hope he stays humble. The wicket was good to bat on, a lot of the batters got starts and didn't convert. They are young, new to this format, it will take some time." An emphatic series-squaring victory at Visakhapatnam meant India managed to bounce back from the 28-run defeat in Hyderabad. The next game of the series will be held at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot on February 15, giving both teams a ten-day break. "This win gives us a lot of confidence. Very proud of such a young squad, to come up against a team like that. Very positive. We want these guys to have time in the middle. It's a good challenge, England have been playing good cricket. Not going to be an easy series. Three more games to go, need to make sure we do most things right," added Rohit. Bumrah, who was named Player of the Match, produced magical deliveries in the match – like castling the middle and leg stumps of Ollie Pope with a menacing yorker. "I don't look at numbers. If you think about numbers there is a lot of pressure. I'm very happy that we won and contributed to that. As a youngster that was the first delivery I learned in tennis-ball cricket (which led to Pope’s dismissal). I used to feel that is the only way to take wickets." Bumrah also said with the team in transition, it is his responsibility to guide other bowlers in going about the business. "Not the leader (of the attack) but we are going through a transition so it's my responsibility to guide them. We discuss everything, about what I am thinking and what he (Rohit) thinks we should do. "I am a fast bowling fan, before being a cricketer. It is all I have ever enjoyed watching and doing. So I always enjoy watching fast bowlers, even on the other team. I look at the situation, I look at the wicket and then I look to solve the problem from there. I am not a one-trick pony, so I will look at different things and different options." Meanwhile, Jaiswal said he enjoyed playing in the match and the wonderful battles in it. “One of the best moments when you win for your country. We were focusing on our process, what we can do. Focus on our fielding and follow the process, and it went well.” “Day four pitch had cracks, there was seam (movement). It's hard playing the fourth innings. Absolutely different (in playing white ball from red ball), the field, and ball, mindset is different. I try to play my shots and have good intent. The way Bumrah bowled, it was incredible to watch. He bowled really well in the first innings as well. Wonderful team to be part of." Read the full article

[eedinanews]

ಟೆಸ್ಟ್‌ ಪಂದ್ಯದ ಮೊದಲ ದಿನವೇ ರನ್‌ ಸುನಾಮಿ; ಪಾಕ್‌ ನೆಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂಗ್ಲೆಂಡ್‌ ವಿಶ್ವದಾಖಲೆ

ಮೊದಲ ದಿನ 500+ ರನ್‌ ದಾಖಲೆ ನಾಲ್ವರು ಬ್ಯಾಟರ್‌ಗಳು ಭರ್ಜರಿ ಶತಕ 18 ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಬಳಿಕ ಪಾಕಿಸ್ತಾನದ ನೆಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಟೆಸ್ಟ್‌ ಪಂದ್ಯವನ್ನಾಡಲಿಳಿದ ಪ್ರವಾಸಿ ಇಂಗ್ಲೆಂಡ್‌,  

18 ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಬಳಿಕ ಪಾಕಿಸ್ತಾನದ ನೆಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಟೆಸ್ಟ್‌ ಪಂದ್ಯವನ್ನಾಡಲಿಳಿದ ಪ್ರವಾಸಿ ಇಂಗ್ಲೆಂಡ್‌,  ಮೊದಲ ದಿನವೇ ವಿಶ್ವದಾಖಲೆ ನಿರ್ಮಿಸಿದೆ.

[net4news]

4th Test: Indian openers make promising start but England ahead after Day 2 | Cricket News

LONDON: India allowed Ollie Pope and Chris Woakes to earn a substantial 99-run first innings lead for England on Day 2 of the fourth Test, leaving their star-studded batting line-up to rise to the occasion in the second essay after a string of indifferent performances. In the absence of Mohammed Shami, the Indian pace attack did not seem potent enough on the day and was unable to put sustained pressure on the batsmen. Scorecard | As it happened From a precarious 62 for five, England staged a remarkable recovery to score 290 on a pitch getting better for batting with each session. But despite losing the initiative, India are still in the match after restricting the English lead to less than 100. The men responsible for giving England the upper hand in the game were Ollie Pope (81 off 159) and Chris Woakes (50 off 60) whose attacking innings in the final session could well prove to be the difference in the match. That's Stumps on Day 2 of the fourth Test at The Oval! #TeamIndia move to 43/0. @klrahul11 2⃣2⃣*@ImRo45 2⃣0⃣*… https://t.co/Ryvr1NMKfm — BCCI (@BCCI) 1630691167000 India batting, which has let the team down often in overseas conditions and also in the series so far, will have to find a way to score at least 300 plus in the second innings. The openers Rohit Sharma (20 batting) and K L Rahul (22 batting) made a promising start, taking India to 43 for no loss in 16 overs at stumps on day two. They still trail England by 56 runs. Rohit got a life on 6 when he Rory Burns failed to sight a regulation catch at second slip. Considering the batting friendly conditions at The Oval, the batsmen, especially the struggling middle-order, will be expected to deliver and keep India in the game. India's third and fourth choice pacers -- especially Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur, were not able to maintain pressure put by Umesh Yadav (3/76) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/67) early in the England innings. Ravindra Jadeja played his role well, taking two wickets and keeping things tight from his end. England were bowled out after tea with Woakes getting run out after a destructive knock comprising 11 fours. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul take India to stumps on 43/0, trailing England by 56.#WTC23 | #ENGvIND |… https://t.co/c7pcDmfSiS — ICC (@ICC) 1630690784000 The pitch played true allowing the England batsmen to hit on the up. Pope, playing his first match of the series, showed an attractive range of strokes including on the up straight drives and cover drives. England led India by 36 runs at the tea break. The first wicket of the session came through Siraj, who trapped Jonny Bairstow (37) with his stock ball -- the nip backer -- in the fifth over after lunch. That also brought an end to an entertaining 89-run stand between Bairstow and Pope. Pope then got together with Moeen Ali (35) to give England the upperhand. The two shared a 71-run stand and before a well-set Moeen played a poor shot off Ravindra Jadeja to throw his wicket away. The attempted slog sweep went straight into the hands of the cover fielder. In the morning session, Umesh struck twice in the first hour of play before a counter-attacking stand between Bairstow and Pope took England to 139 for five at lunch. England scored 86 runs in the 25-over session. Umesh, perennially in and out of the playing eleven and featuring in his first Test in nine months, was impressive in his opening spell after taking the prized wicket of Joe Root on Thursday. He got his 150th Test wicket in his first over of the day after nightwatchman Craig Overton slashed one hard only to edge it to Virat Kohli at first slip. Dawid Malan (31 off 67) once again batted fluently until Umesh, coming from around the wicket, got one to slightly straighten to take the outside edge and Rohit Sharma took a brilliant diving catch at second slip, leaving England at 62 for five. With Bumrah also applying pressure from the other end, England managed to score only 25 runs in the first hour in which 12 overs were bowled. However, the momentum shifted drastically in England's favour after the drinks break as Shardul Thakur conceded four boundaries in his over with three of them coming from Pope's blade. One was a delightful straight drive and was followed by a flick between the mid-on and mid-wicket arc. With the pitch not offering much help to the pacers, Thakur paid the price for bowling a bit too full. The next over, Bairstow collected three boundaries off Siraj, who too wasn't at his best. Pope batted with supreme confidence and struck a gorgeous cover drive off Bumrah towards the end of the session. Source link Read the full article

[uitvconnect]

Read More about England's Ollie Pope out for four months with dislocated shoulder on UiTVConnect England batsman Ollie Pope has been ruled out for up to four months after dislocating his left shoulder during the recently concluded three-match Test series against Pakistan which the hosts won 1-0.