Pope Determined to Overcome Criticism

Ollie Pope has vowed to "block out" the criticism surrounding his batting as scrutiny intensifies following his 30 runs across four innings against Sri Lanka. Despite England's unbeaten record under his captaincy, Pope has faced backlash after failing to score more than 20 runs in two Tests, standing in for the injured Ben Stokes.

During England’s 190-run victory at Lord’s, Pope managed scores of 1 and 17. His dismissals raised questions about his ability to separate his captaincy duties from his batting. In the first innings, he top-edged a pull shot to square leg, while in the second, he was caught at deep point, attempting an uppercut with England pushing for a declaration.

Pope refused to blame his poor shot selection on the pressures of captaincy, acknowledging that he needs to learn from these mistakes and move forward. He admitted that his second-innings dismissal was driven by the need to accelerate the game but expressed disappointment with his early shot in the first innings. Pope reiterated that he isn’t hiding from his struggles, acknowledging that cricket's nature includes ups and downs in form. He hopes to start fresh in the upcoming game and put together a significant score.

Known for his shaky starts at the crease, Pope has often been criticised for his vulnerability early in his innings. He has been dismissed within his first 20 balls on 32 occasions in 85 Test innings. Despite entering the series in decent form, with a century and two fifties against the West Indies, Pope admitted that his nervous starts remain an area he’s working to improve.

Pope viewed his recent poor performances as learning experiences and recognised the need to refine his approach to the start of his innings. He is also focused on capitalising when he settles in.

Michael Vaughan has been particularly harsh in his criticism, describing Pope as "an insecure human being" and questioning his suitability for the England captaincy. Pope expected to face greater scrutiny while temporarily leading the team and avoid overthinking as he prepares for the third Test at The Oval.

Pope acknowledged that additional criticism comes with the captaincy, especially from past cricketers, but stressed the importance of blocking out the noise and staying close to those who support him. He believes that focusing on the opinions of his team and trusted individuals is key to regaining his form.

Pope has sought advice from Joe Root, whose twin centuries led England to a series-clinching win at Lord’s, since assuming the captaincy.

The upcoming Test at The Oval will be Pope's first at his home ground—where he has scored 11 first-class centuries for Surrey—since 2022. He expressed excitement about returning to The Oval, hoping for a great crowd and a strong performance.

England, aiming for a summer sweep, hasn’t won every Test in a home season since 2004. Pope remarked that achieving this would be a "pretty cool" accomplishment and highlighted the team’s strong performance throughout the summer after a challenging winter in India.