EXCLUSIVE - RICHARD EDWARDS: Ollie Pope is now at the top of the pecking order for selection later this summer, vying for a place in Joe Root’s side with the likes of James Vince and Joe Clarke
If Ollie Pope was hoping to quietly state his case for an Ashes call-up at the start of the season, he failed quite spectacularly.
Not that anyone was complaining after his mammoth double century for the county champions against the MCC in Dubai. Among the batsman clamouring for a place in England’s top order for the Ashes, Pope’s case is the most compelling – and if weight of runs is the currency on which the selectors base their side for when the Aussies swing into town, then Pope is already heavily in credit.
And for an England side still struggling to pin down their top order, the 21-year-old Pope from Chelsea could be heaven sent.
“It was a nice way to start, obviously being a first class game it was a great way to start the season,” he says. “In my eyes, the main season hasn’t got underway yet but it was definitely good to spend some time in the middle.”
It was the continuation of a remarkable run of scoring for Surrey and with Pope’s first-class average now sitting at a hugely impressive 54, he finds himself in elite company. And not for the first time, he looks entirely at home.
Ollie Pope is ready for the start of the new season
It’s a measure of his appetite for runs that he would have been disappointed not to similarly fill his boots in Surrey’s friendly against Durham MCCU at the Oval last week. Pope’s contribution to Surrey’s enormous 586 for 8 was a mere 45, but when the serious business gets underway at the Oval against Essex on Thursday, it’s certain that there will be plenty more to come from him, despite a relatively disappointing winter with the Lions.
“I got a couple of scores in India but I never really felt on top of my game,” he says. “That happens in cricket, that’s just part of the game.
“But I got back to the Oval and worked hard in the nets and I think that was a really valuable time for me. I felt in really good rhythm and then went out to Dubai and got a score out there. So it’s all good.
"It’s a massive summer for English cricket, although what spots are up for grabs, no-one is really sure at the moment"
“Last year things happened pretty quickly and early season runs put in more good stead, confidence-wise, to keep kicking on. Luckily I kept that going throughout the season for Surrey, which earned me that England call-up – something I wasn’t really near before.”
Given that he had only made 15 appearances before that call came, he’s being a bit hard on himself.
But despite seeing his opportunities limited to two Tests against India last summer, he’s now at the top of the pecking order for selection later this summer, vying for a place in Joe Root’s side with the likes of James Vince and Joe Clarke, who has started the season in prolific style for his new county, Nottinghamshire.
“It’s a massive summer for English cricket, although what spots are up for grabs, no-one is really sure at the moment,” he says. “It’s just a great opportunity for a few people to put their hands up and make some inroads early season with some big scores. Playing for England in an Ashes series is as big as it gets, but I don’t want to put myself under too much pressure.
Pope has been in action for England Lions over the winter
“I don’t want to think about the end goal, I just want to take things one step at a time. I’m more than happy playing my cricket at the Oval.”
If that recall does come, then will Pope will be walking in to what promises to be a fascinating series between two sides who will enter the series with precious little five-day cricket behind them. That will create an element of uncertainty. What is definite, though, is that it won’t be a place for the faint-hearted.
“It’s (sledging) part of playing in an Ashes series – it’s one of the things that make that kind of series so exciting,” he says. “You almost have to use it as one of those things to spur you on a bit.
“You obviously get it a bit in county cricket. You get a bit of stick but each player deals with it in their own certain way. Hopefully you take it on the chin and if you're someone who likes to come back at them then come back at them but if you’re someone who just smiles it off then you do that too.
“Either way, I don’t think it changes the way you play. That said, I don’t think you can win as a batter really - if you’re giving it back and you end up getting out then you end up getting a big send off.
“It’s easier as a bowler to give it out."
Far more simple, in fact, than removing Pope from the crease.
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