'play On, Pontiff' - Pope Repays England's Faith

Saturday astatine Headingley. Fancy dress. A group of clergymen took their spot connected nan Western Terrace.

Maybe location was a beingness wherever Ollie Pope joined them successful watching from nan sidelines. Maybe his spot was ne'er nether immoderate superior threat from Jacob Bethell.

If it had taken a leap of religion from Ben Stokes to clasp his vice-captain astatine number 3 for nan first Test against India, past Pope picked nan cleanable clip to play nan grateful disciple.

A time aft Stokes put England nether nan pump by giving distant nan chance to bat first, Pope's period offered nan skipper a measurement retired of purgatory, nan number 3 100 not retired successful England's 209-3, 262 down India's 471.

"It sums up and proves why he's England number three," said opener Ben Duckett, who made 62 successful a guidelines of 122 pinch Pope.

There is an statement to propose immoderate statement betwixt Pope and Bethell is ludicrous. On Saturday, Pope pushed his mean arsenic England's first-drop to 45.19, while Bethell has ne'er made a period successful master cricket.

But numbers unsocial ne'er show nan afloat story. Pope's stats disguise a feast-or-famine profession – earlier this crippled 34% of his Test runs had travel successful only six of his erstwhile 98 knocks. Pope tin beryllium a nervous, skittish beingness astatine nan crease. The calm Bethell looks calved to beryllium an world batter.

Stokes put nan speech to furniture connected Thursday, pointing to nan 171 Pope made against Zimbabwe successful Nottingham successful May. Stokes said it would person been "remarkable" to time off him retired aft specified an innings, without ever elaborating connected what mightiness person happened had Pope grounded astatine Trent Bridge.

"There's sound extracurricular of a dressing room but there's nary sound successful it," said Duckett.

"We're not having discussions astir who's going to play. It seemed beautiful clear coming into this Test lucifer that if a bloke scores 171 a fewer weeks agone he's going to play this one."

Still, Pope acknowledged nan request to amended his grounds against India and Australia, nan 2 sides England look crossed 10 defining Tests for nan Stokes era.

The 196 he made against India successful Hyderabad early past twelvemonth is 1 of nan all-time awesome innings by an Englishman overseas, but isolated from that he has delivered slim returns against nan 2 biggest teams successful nan world.

Before Headingley, Pope had an mean of 22.05 successful a mixed 18 Tests against India and Australia.

The main obstacle to improving that grounds was Jasprit Bumrah, nan champion bowler successful nan world. In Visakhapatnam 18 months ago, Bumrah's dismissal of Pope pinch a yorker that removed 2 stumps was truthful convulsive it should only beryllium watched pinch a wellness warning.

On Saturday Bumrah had everything successful his favour. Moody entity and floodlights, stalking down nan slope pinch his stuttering approach. When Zak Crawley was turned wrong retired to separator to first slip, Pope arrived astatine nan crease pinch nan people 4-1.

What followed was a show of guts, grit and determination. Not rather yet nan heights of Hyderabad, but surely nan champion period Pope has ever made successful a location Test – and this was his 3rd successful successive matches successful this country.

He needed fortune, though what batter wouldn't erstwhile Bumrah is bowling pinch specified potency? The paceman was genuinely magnificent, each transportation pregnant pinch danger.

Pope edged Bumrah betwixt 3rd gaffe and gully erstwhile he had 10 and could person been tally retired connected 15 erstwhile he and Duckett were heading to nan aforesaid end.

On 34 he survived an India lbw reappraisal erstwhile Mohammed Siraj's transportation was shown to beryllium clipping nan apical of disconnected stump, past connected 60 he was put down by third-slip Yashasvi Jaiswal disconnected that magician Bumrah.

In between, Pope exhibited a serenity that has truthful often eluded him. Yes, location were still immoderate disfigured jabs astatine nan shot and precocious false-shot percent of 27, yet those were mixed pinch bully judgement.

Taking defender crossed his stumps, Pope was speedy to pounce immoderate clip India were fractionally awry pinch their line. He scored nan mostly of his runs down quadrate connected nan disconnected side, though besides tucked successful from his pads. The Surrey man scored thing successful nan 'V' down nan ground.

"The measurement he played Bumrah, he without uncertainty played pinch nan astir control," erstwhile England skipper Alastair Cook told Test Match Special.

"Whether it is simply a conscious effort, he played nan shot later. He looked measurement little frenetic."

As nan sun returned and nan adjacent drew near, nan longest time of nan twelvemonth pushed play past 7pm. Pope connected 99, Bumrah summoned for 1 last effort.

An wrong separator trickled to quadrate leg, Pope leapt successful celebration. He saluted nan dressing room, past took nan applause of nan Western Terrace.

The clergymen had waited for nan moment. They acknowledged their Pope past instantly moved towards nan exit.

They would person hardly been down nan stairs erstwhile Joe Root edged Bumrah to first slip, astir apt not moreover retired of nan crushed erstwhile Harry Brook was saved only by a Bumrah no-ball.

Pope remains, nan chance of a Sunday work to proceed England's fightback.

Play on, pontiff.