Ollie Pope Believes No.3 Challenge Could Unlock His Best Form for Ashes

Ollie Pope is gearing up for the Ashes challenge, and he is confident to deliver for England at the crucial no.3 batting position. The young England batter was struggling for form earlier, but the recent warm-up fixtures against England Lions have given him plenty of confidence. He is looking forward to carrying this form into the first Ashes test that is slated to start from November 21.

The team management of England recently appointed Harry Brook as the vice-captain of the test team. He replaced Ollie Pope, who was struggling to score runs in that format for quite some time. Speaking about this development, Pope said that he respects the decision of the management. He believes that Brook, being the captain of the white-ball teams, will be a better option for the test side as vice-captain.

"I respect the decision they've made. If they think that's the right thing for the team going forward, and obviously Brooky captaining the one-day stuff and the T20 stuff as well, then that's absolutely fine by me and I respect the decision they've made." said Ollie Pope while speaking to the media.

Before England arrived in Australia, there were debates in the UK about whether Ollie Pope should be included in the Ashes series or not. Fortunately, his recent performances against the England Lions in the warm-up game have put all discussions to rest. The young batter believes that those debates will now halt for a while, as the team looks set for the first test.

"I hope so. I've got so used to those conversations being had (about the No.3 position). I don't go looking for them but it's pretty hard to avoid sometimes. I'm so used to seeing it, I've just learned to focus on my game.” said Ollie Pope.

He further said that the upcoming Ashes series is important for him, and he is looking forward to performing in it with a better mindset. He is also pretty confident to repay the faith the management has shown in him over the last few weeks.

"I'm just trying to become a better player each time I step out and that's all I can do. Fingers crossed to get the nod, but all the trust is in those guys and I respect the decision they make." said Ollie Pope.

Turning Immense Pressure into Performance

The young batter recently faced immense criticism and scrutiny from many English cricket fans and media. Luckily, he didn’t succumb to the pressure and took all the arguments as an opportunity to prove himself again at the international level.

"It's been good for me that I've learnt that, under the most pressure, I've been able to deliver, especially in that Headingley Test. I know that I can learn how to deal with that and get the best out of myself at times.” said Ollie Pope.

Speaking about the competition within the team, Pope said that he fully understands the challenge. He knows that his position in the squad could come under pressure if he doesn’t perform with the bat. Because of this, he always works hard to give his best, as the team consistently requires in-form batters.

"Everyone wants to be the first name on the team sheet, that's pretty clear. But at the same time we're playing international sport. I've got to remind myself of that at times - there's always going to be someone on your heel if you haven't quite scored the volume of runs that you would have liked.” said Ollie Pope.

"I'll try and use the pressure I'm under to get the best out of myself. I think I'm a far better player than I was the last time I came out to Australia. I've got those experiences behind me and I know how I want to go about it. So fingers crossed that I can deliver with a lot of runs." said Ollie Pope.

The Perth Test, starting on November 21, will be the first major challenge for Ollie Pope to justify his selection. He is looking forward to the match with an open mindset, as the fast, bouncy surface in Perth could test his temperament and skills to their extreme.