A winter of two halves awaits Ollie Pope, who is now ready to return to action after suffering a third serious shoulder injury in four years.
Pope is in Antigua, hoping to make his one-day international debut as part of a rebooted England white-ball setup. But after Christmas he will rejoin the Test squad in which he was vice-captain under Ben Stokes for a five-match series in India that will be the longest and most intimidating tour of the Bazball era yet.
During a recent camp with England Lions in Abu Dhabi, Pope had his thoughts on both series, working on the tricks and tactics he will need if selected for a white-ball debut, as well as the pitches he can face in India come.
Memories of England’s 2021 tour of India remain raw among the players. Inspired by Joe Root, they pulled off a famous win in Chennai, but the pitches got tougher. Impressed by Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel, a shocked England departed after three consecutive, and rather chastening, defeats.
The painful experience inspired Pope’s recent preparation. In Abu Dhabi he had a net generously roughened and then turned to face the other side. The 25-year-old is a true Bazball disciple and believes offense will be the best form of defense to avoid a repeat of 2021’s frequent sitting-duck impersonations.
“That trip to India was tough,” Pope told Telegraph Sport. “We were 1-0 up after a good wicket and then the pitches changed, the ball started turning square. That was new for many people. In the past the boys had played on wickets that were good for two days and then started turning, rather than going from ball one.
“We have a similar team to what we had back then in India. We know exactly how we want to handle things. If the ball spins past the perimeter, what are our scoring options as a hitting group? Being out here is what we’ve been practicing [in Abu Dhabi]. You need a solid defense, but you also have to always try to score.
“That’s exactly how we’re going to see things [taking the aggressive option]. It’s about managing your expectations. You want to score a hundred every match, and if you don’t, you’ve failed. But in India a run-a-ball 60 may be match winning, 200 may be a good score on some courts.
“There is danger for both flanks as a right-hander. Ashwin is probably the best spinner in the world, but [Ravindra] Jadeja and Axar turn the ball sharply away from the bat. It’s knowing how you want to score; pick up the bowler and put them under pressure.
“It’s a tough place to win, but we’ll give it as much of a try as we can if we play our way.”
Despite being vice-captain, there is no guarantee that Pope will make it to England’s 11th in India. He has not played since the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, where he dislocated his shoulder. Unable to bowl, Stokes was replaced in a rebalanced team by the now retired Moeen Ali. Having just gone under the knife, the prospect of Stokes bowling seems unlikely, meaning a batsman may have to make way to ensure he has the bowling options to take 20 wickets.
But Pope’s record under the current regime suggests he will not be to blame. Since coming into third place under Stokes, his average is 45.3, compared to 28.7 before. The Surrey man puts it down to security on the side.
“Firstly, I have improved as a player in recent years,” he says. “That is partly due to Stokes and [Brendon] McCullum, and the environment they created. You feel at home in the team, instead of being dropped if you play a bad game. Psychologically that helped.
“But even though you try not to think about it, you are always fighting for your place in Test cricket. What happened in the Ashes after I got injured was amazing. I will try to improve my game and prepare as best as I can, but then I no longer have control over the selection.”
‘Although I could make my debut, I feel experienced’
The same goes for the Caribbean tour, where Pope is one of the new faces in the white ball squad. He has told captain Jos Buttler and coach Matthew Mott that he believes he is capable of batting anywhere in the top seven. Although Pope’s experience of white-ball cricket has been limited in recent years, he initially impressed for Surrey in the shorter forms at the start of his career.
“I feel like I can fit in pretty well in that team, I feel like I can bat anywhere from the top to six or seven,” he says. “Although I could be making my debut, I feel like an experienced international cricketer. There are boys [on tour] who are all very new to it, and I know the noise about it.
“The new format means that I have to sharpen my tactical skills quickly. White-ball cricket can sometimes look like you’re just playing, but it’s very tactical, so I thought about that while watching the World Cup. I’m new, I want to pick some guys’ brains. Batting-wise, it’s quite similar to the way we play in the Test side.
‘Playing at a World Cup is as good as it gets’
Pope hopes to use the tour as a first step towards the 2027 World Cup.
“For any cricketer, playing a World Cup as best as it can be is a huge ambition,” he says. “In Test cricket, the format is the pinnacle, and we have the World Test Championship, but it doesn’t feel the same. It’s hard to say this, but if you watch the Aussies the other day you’ll want to experience that, it would be a career highlight.
“Four years is still a long time, but this is an opportunity to put my case forward and show what I can do. There’s a lot of competition from both experienced guys and some newer faces, but anything I can do to get my name out there on this tour would be a great start.
For now, Pope is just happy to be back.
“I even missed preparing for matches, the pressure of the morning of a big match,” he says. “I talked to Jack Leach, who was also injured. While you’re in the middle of it, you don’t realize that you’d much rather have a bad day playing than get injured and have no control over anything. Recovery can feel a bit like a nine-five, which cricket doesn’t normally do. You spend the week recuperating and go to the weekend and feel like having a day off. I’m a cricket badger, I love playing and can’t wait to be back.”