To be clear, this is a very specific, short-term debate which reflects less on Ollie Pope than a unique set of circumstances. Nevertheless, should Ben Stokes be able to play in the second Test in Multan, England will be loathe to risk over-bowling him. On Multan’s lifeless surface, retaining five front-line bowlers seems essential. This logic would point to Stokes, if he is only fit to play as a batsman, slotting in for one of the top six and Ollie Pope might face the axe considering his performances with the bat.
From stand-in England captain to out of the team. This was Mark Butcher’s fate 25 years ago: filling in for Nasser Hussain against New Zealand at Old Trafford, he made five and nine and was discarded for the next Test. The episode embodied much of the worst of English cricket in the 1990s, the age before central contracts. Thankfully, there will be no going back to such instability. Yet England might now face the same question that they did in 1999: could the return of the captain Ben Stoke endanger the stand-in’s Ollie Pope’s position in the side.
Ollie Pope’s dip in form as a batter for England
Despite captaining in the last four Tests, Ollie Pope finds himself in the curious position of being England’s most dispensable batsman. This status reflects the middle-order brilliance of Joe Root and Harry Brook, and how Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett have become England’s most reliable opening pair since Sir Alastair Cook and Sir Andrew Strauss.
Here, then, is a possible situation in which England consider omitting Ollie Pope. With Stokes back but as a specialist batsman only, Crawley and Duckett would open, with a middle order of Root, Brook and Stokes.
Given the choice, perhaps none of the trio would choose to bat at No3. Yet Root’s 262 in the first Test came from one wicket down, and when walking out to bat in the second over. On such placid pitches, batting positions matter less. In Pakistan in recent years, abandoning convention has been England’s friend – from using Ollie Pope himself as wicketkeeper in 2022, to depriving James Anderson of the new ball and making Rehan Ahmed their youngest ever Test cricketer.
Ollie Pope is fresh from his best Test as captain and an essential part of England’s future. He has been selected for every Test under Brendon McCullum in which he has been fit. It is also only a Test since he scored 154. Yet while all these things are true, Ollie Pope’s average remains middling – 34.7 after 50 Tests, which decreases to 28.8 in 11 games since his extraordinary 196 in Hyderabad. In the same period, Duckett, Crawley, Root, Brook and Jamie Smith all average at least nine runs more.
Ollie Pope’s difficulties in part reflect his willingness to bat at three, higher than he had previously batted in first-class cricket; after Duckett’s injury in Multan, he selflessly promoted himself to open. Still, an enduring truth about his Test career remains. Ollie Pope’s brilliance when he gets himself in is not in doubt; his method early in his innings is. All Test batsmen are susceptible when fresh to the crease, but Ollie Pope is especially vulnerable.
A second-ball duck extended Ollie Pope’s travails when starting his innings. He is dismissed within his first 20 balls in 38 per cent of Test innings: the worst figure in history for anyone to bat in England’s top six for at least 35 innings. Taking only batting into consideration, and ignoring his status as vice-captain, there is a short-term case for Ollie Pope shuffling out the side to accommodate Stokes. It would be harsh; leaving out any of Duckett, Crawley, Root, Brook and Smith would be even harsher.
The scenario remains unlikely. Instead, Stokes’ return might well be delayed until at least the third Test, when he is fully fit to play as an all-rounder – slotting back in at No6, with one of the bowling attack missing out. Squeezing out Ollie Pope, even for tactical reasons for a solitary game, would be out of kilter with England’s ethos under McCullum. Former English skipper Nasser Hussain feels the same as Ben Stoke’s return could be at one man’s stake ie : the standing skipper Ollie Pope.
Nasser Hussain believes Ben Stokes could replace Ollie Pope in 2nd ENG vs PAK Test 2024
Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes stand-in skipper Ollie Pope’s place could be in jeopardy should regular skipper Ben Stokes return to the side for the second Test against Pakistan. Stokes has been recovering from a torn hamstring sustained in August and could be back playing as a specialist batter in the next Test.
Meanwhile, Ollie Pope led his troops to an emphatic victory by innings an 47 runs in the opening Test but was dismissed for a duck with the bat. It was his sixth score under 20 in the last seven Test innings. With the rest of the batters in prime form and England going with three pacers and two spinners in the first Test, the axe could fall on Ollie Pope. Speaking to Sky Sports at the end of the first Test at Multan, Hussain said:
“Pope almost gave things away [in his interview] that Stokes will be fit, but he can’t play as one of only three seamers, that is for certain. He has to be one of four, leaving either a spinner or batter vulnerable. If he’s playing as a batter only, then Ollie Pope is the most vulnerable. I know he’s captain, but he won’t be if Ben plays.”
He added:
“It’s a tricky one: if he can bowl a bit, you could maybe bring him in for the second spinner. If it’s the same sort of pitch, it won’t spin much, not until day four or day five, so could Stokes maybe come in for Shoaib Bashir?”
While Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett scored quickfire half-centuries, Harry Brook and Joe Root broke several records during their triple and double tons, respectively.
Ollie Pope positive about Ben Stokes return to England playing XI.
England’s stand-in skipper Ollie Pope said regular Test captain Ben Stokes is keen to return to the playing XI after missing their previous four Tests. After leading England to a 3-0 whitewash of the West Indies, Stokes missed the entire Sri Lanka series at home that England won 2-1 under Ollie Pope.
“I’m actually not 100 per cent [Stokes’ return]. He’s been training really well this week. He’s as keen as ever to get playing again, so fingers crossed he’s all good,” said Pope to Sky Sports.
Despite playing 50 Tests, Pope continues to search for consistency, averaging under 35. The second England-Pakistan Test begins at the same venue (Multan) on October 15.