Ollie Pope has revealed a chat with mentor and England great Alec Stewart helped him rediscover his form after scoring 77 on day two of the first Test in New Zealand.
Pope averaged 11 batting at No 3 in Pakistan in October, with a best of 29, but starred at No 6 for England on day two in Christchurch, having slipped down the order due to also keeping wicket.
The 26-year-old’s rise to the international scene has been aided by Surrey director of cricket Stewart, who scored over 8,000 Test runs for England between 1990 and 2003.
Pope told reporters after he and Harry Brook (132no) had rallied England from 71-4 at Hagley Oval as the tourists closed on 319-5 to trail by just 29: “I didn’t get Stewy throwing balls on the dog stick. He’s too high up for that, I think.
“I had an open discussion with him rather than an array of sessions in the nets. It’s probably healthy to talk to someone from outside who’s been watching you.
‘Stewart and I talked about calmness’
“Sometimes that’s a nice opinion to have. I gained a lot from going back and talking to him.
“It was more about ‘what does it look like when I’m at my best?’, because that was a frustrating thing – I wasn’t getting to 20 or 30, to allow myself to go on to that big score.
“We talked about having that calmness at the crease. When I’m playing well there’s that clarity in how I want to play, not trying to rush my way to 20 or 30.
“Pakistan wasn’t an easy tour and I wasn’t good enough to find a way. For me, it was really important to draw a line under it.
“I knew if I could get in the right headspace I could start the series strongly. Fortunately, I’ve done that and hopefully I can kick on and score a lot more runs in this series.”
Pope: I want to make No 3 spot mine
Asked where he would like to bat moving forward, Pope – who could be relieved of wicketkeeping duties by Ollie Robinson in the second Test at Wellington from December 6 – added: “No 3.
“I want to keep trying to make it mine. I’ve had too many low scores there but I’ve also managed to put together some good knocks this year. It’s definitely a job I want to keep doing.”
Pope was eyeing an eighth Test hundred but fell 23 runs short as Glenn Phillips pulled off a remarkable one-handed catch in the gully – during a day on which New Zealand shelled six chances.
Glenn Phillips celebrates his jaw-dropping catch that remove Pope at Hagley Oval
The England man said: “That was a great catch from Glenn, fair play to him, but another day that goes for four and you’re off and running to make a really big score. It’s funny how the game goes.”
Hussain: Pope needs to find consistency
Sky Sports Cricket’s Nasser Hussain:
“It was a typical Pope innings. He looked a little bit frenetic at the start – he would say busy – but on a pitch with pace and bounce, he looked in good touch and loves to clip through the leg-side.
“It’s not that Ollie hasn’t got the talent, it’s the consistency. He often starts a series well but when things slightly go downhill they can go in the wrong direction.
“He has to find that consistency, whether that’s at No 3 or down the order.”
England’s Test tour of New Zealand
- First Test: November 28-December 2 (Christchurch)
- Second Test: December 6-10 (Wellington)
- Third Test: December 14-18 (Hamilton)