England address Brisbane e-scooter incident ahead of Gabba Test
His shot selection was harshly criticized by the British media and former Australian quick Mitchell Johnson, who called his displays “arrogant”.
Pope admitted England needed to be smarter against Australia’s fast bowlers at the green-coloured Gabba ground, which is expected to offer similar pace and bounce.
England batsman Ollie Pope during a training session in Brisbane ahead of the second Test. Credit: Getty Images
“To be honest, I was quite upset with both dismissals in that game,” said Pope, who was England’s top scorer with scores of 46 and 33. “I knew that was the risk on the field.
“At the same time, I was happy with how I played right up until the moment I came out. If I can start my innings that way as much as possible while I’m here, hopefully there will be some big runs.”
“It’s a pretty lively pitch, probably the second most lively pitch after Perth. I’m getting really clear this week on how I want to proceed.”
“Those are lessons to take forward and similar conditions could happen here in terms of driving on the rise. I don’t want to let the pitcher pitch to me, I’m just trying to play with the percentages as much as I can. Everybody has clear game plans and there are a few lessons that individuals will take from last week and put into practice this week.”
Travis Head raises his bat after his stunning innings in Perth.Credit: Getty Images
England were stunned by Travis Head’s match-winning century in the fourth innings in Perth and would love to have one of their dynamic senior players replicate his devastating strokeplay. Australia have not announced whether Head will retain his place at the top of the rankings.
“So whether it’s someone on our team who puts their hand up and makes a shot like that, or it could be someone on the other end who absorbs the pressure for an extra period of time and allows the next person to do it as well,” Pope said.
“Of course there are different ways to skin a cat if you want to be successful. It’s trying to make sure you put some pressure on the bowler, but also trying to absorb it as much as possible when the bowler is in good rhythm.”
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“We know Australia have a good track record here, but at the same time, I think we also saw the West Indies deliver on them last time, so we take that as a bit of a positive.”
Asked if England expect Pat Cummins, who missed the series opener with a back problem, to play in this Test, Pope said: “I’m not quite sure what’s going on in their camp. He’s a top-notch bowler but he’s someone we’ve come across as well. If he plays, then everyone knows how they want to play him.”
“I’ve faced it before. I know the challenges it poses, so I’ll try to fight it.”
