Ollie Pope leaves England in dismay again; Is it curtains for him in Tests?

Ollie Pope averages 17.62 in Ashes cricket [Source: imArshit/X.com]

England number 3 Ollie Pope finds himself in the firing line of the critics once again as Australia are at the brink of retaining the Ashes Urn for the fourth consecutive time, with only 4 wickets required at Stumps Day 3 in Adelaide, while England needs to chase down 228.

In what already looked like an uphill task to get 435 runs in the fourth innings to stay alive in the series, the former vice-captain, whose place in the team has been under the scanner, did not help himself, as Pat Cummins kept testing him on the Saturday afternoon.

On the back of his 3 (10) in the first innings, he was visibly struggling to middle the ball. In his short, 29-ball stay, he was beaten, hit on the thigh pads and the elbow before eventually nicking one to Marnus Labuschagne in the slip, who pulled off a screamer to end the batter's misery at the crease. They still needed 404 runs at that point, and he had left them in dismay once again.

Consistently underwhelming performances

Since debuting in 2018, the England management has shown immense trust in his quality and also saw a leader in him, as he was appointed as the vice-captain of the team. He also led them in five matches as a stand-in captain whenever Ben Stokes was unavailable.

However, when it comes to repaying the faith, he has shown glimpses of his class on and off — occasionally in the first match of the series but has failed to give a sustained run of big scores, leaving him with an average of just 34.55 after as many as 64 matches.

Here's a brief breakdown of his stats in Test cricket.

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Ollie Pope's key stats in Test cricket

(Ollie Pope's record in Test cricket)

Ollie Pope against key opponents

(Ollie Pope's record against opponents he has faced in a minimum of 10 innings)

Ollie Pope's average by innings

(Ollie Pope's record by match innings)

Ollie Pope home and away

(Ollie Pope's record in home and away Tests)

Inference

From the above data, it is evident that Pope has shown promise from time to time and delivered good performances in the first innings, while batting in relatively low-pressure situations. 

However, when it comes to setting or chasing targets under the pump, he has crumbled and left his team looking for solutions, considering he bats at a crucial position.

Additionally, his numbers against top opponents have been mediocre, which shows his inability to step up at bigger occasions. His average of 63.57 against South Africa has been the only major positive to take away from his career so far, while, despite facing the arch-rivals Australia, his average of just over 17 is far from what should be a standard for an English batter at number 3.

The difference in his average at home (39.78) and away (29.78) depicts his susceptibility to bat in foreign conditions, where he is tested with a variety of surfaces and conditions. This is a good example of the lack of adaptability and one-dimensional nature of the technical side of his game.

He is often seen struggling in the channel outside off stump, nicking the ball to the keeper and the slips. It has also been noted by many that his head falling has also led to his demise in the format when he faces quality opposition.

Conclusion

England currently does not have a proven number 3 as a Pope replacement readily available in the wings. However, considering how the right-handed batter has fared, with enough data and eye tests available, it is time that England move on from him in Tests for the time-being. At 27, he will still have time to fix his woes and return when the next opportunity presents in the future.

As things stand, the southpaw Jacob Bethell is the frontrunner to take his spot in the playing XI. He has previously played three Tests at 3, when England toured New Zealand in 2024 and scored 260 runs, scoring three fifties at an average of 52.00. His best score of 96 came in Wellington in their 323-run win in the 2nd Test of the series.

Another name, who can eventually be roped into the team in the near future, can be the Somerset wicketkeeper batter James Rew, who was also Bethell's U19 teammate. He usually bats at 4 but can also slot in at 3 if they want to try him out. So far, he has played 57 First Class matches, scoring 3383 runs with the help of 11 centuries and 12 fifties. At 21, he also has a lot of room for improvement.

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