The England team announced their starting lineup for the opening Test match against India in the five-match series, which begins on Friday, June 20 at Headingley, Leeds. Eliminating Jacob Bethell and selecting Ollie Pope to bat at number three was one of the England management’s more intriguing decisions.
Ollie Pope has been England’s No. 3 Test hitter for quite some time. However, he was dropped lower in the order during the New Zealand trip at the end of last year due to a spell of poor form. Bethell earned three fifties in as many Test matches while batting at number three in the series. Against India, the southpaw was competing with Pope for a position at number three. But the hitter who faces the music will be the right-handed one.
Ollie Pope’s century in the four-day Test match against Zimbabwe last month in Nottingham helped him win the race, England captain Ben Stokes said during the pre-match press conference. On a belter of a track, the 27-year-old hammered 171 off 166 balls.
“Well, the big selection just came from not us, um. It will be remarkable to choose someone else if their last knock was 170. That’s pretty much all I need to say on that.”
Ben Stokes
Pope’s thrilling century, according to the renowned all-rounder, demonstrated that he can withstand pressure and isn’t bothered by outside noise. However, Ben Stokes acknowledged that players today find it difficult to ignore the criticism that is directed at them.
“I think in this day and age, it’s very tough not to see all the kinds of speculation and stuff around it just because of how easily accessible things are. You don’t even have to go and hunt for it to see it these days, I think, scoring 170, in his last Test matches sort of showing how well he’s handled that extra scrutiny of it, and it comes with the territory, I guess. When you are an international player, it comes with it.”
Ben Stokes
“It’s one of those things where when as a kid you dream about playing for England and it’s an unbelievable thing, then the other side of it is that you can come under the pump a little bit and that’s part of the territory and part of handling it is also being able to handle the scrutiny that, no doubt, is always gonna come someone’s way at some point.”
Ben Stokes
