Ollie Pope Vows England Will Stay ‘Ruthless’

Ollie Pope has declared that England’s batters will remain “ruthless” in their run-scoring as they aim for a Test series whitewash against the West Indies. England, currently leading 2-0 in the series secured victories with an innings win at Lord’s and a 241-run triumph at Trent Bridge last week. In Nottingham, England achieved a milestone by scoring over 400 runs in both innings, with totals of 416 and 425.

As the third and final Test approaches, starting Friday at Edgbaston, Pope emphasized that England will maintain their aggressive approach despite having already clinched the series and reclaimed the Botham-Richards Trophy.  Pope, who was one of three England centurions in the second Test along with Joe Root and Harry Brook, noted the team’s continued hunger for success and their commitment to playing their natural, attacking game.

Ollie Pope also suggested that England’s ‘Bazball’ style, championed by coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, could lead them to set a new record for runs scored in a single day of Test cricket. Currently, Sri Lanka holds the record with 509-9 against Bangladesh in July 2002. England came close to breaking this record, falling just three runs short against Pakistan in December 2022.

Pope believes that with their aggressive approach, England could surpass the record, hinting at the possibility of scoring 500 to 600 runs in a day in the future. Pope underscored that their attacking style is a natural extension of their gameplay rather than a directive. He acknowledged that while there are instances when they might need to manage the game more conservatively, their dynamic approach is now second nature.