Ollie Pope: England’s Ashes ‘Not Fussed’ Perception Was Hard to Take
The perception that England’s players weren’t fully invested in the recent Ashes series has been a difficult one for Ollie Pope to reconcile with, despite acknowledging their performance offered little evidence to the contrary. Speaking at Surrey’s county media day following the lifting of a gagging order imposed by the ECB, Pope addressed the narrative that the team lacked the necessary intensity for the tour.
The ECB’s decision to initially restrict centrally contracted players from discussing the Ashes fallout stemmed from the ongoing scrutiny surrounding head coach Brendon McCullum’s position. However, indications suggest McCullum is likely to remain in his role, albeit with caveats arising from a campaign where England appeared underprepared and struggled to consistently perform under pressure, both on and off the field.
“I think the misconception might be that we weren’t as fussed as it came across,” Pope stated. “All we wanted to do was go and win the Ashes. It’s obviously not nice, I guess. But I can understand why people felt that way.”
Pope went on to explain that the team’s attempts to manage the pressure of an Ashes series may have inadvertently contributed to the perception of indifference. “At the same time, I guess the perception that we weren’t fussed was probably the hard thing. Because, I mean, everyone’s trying to manage with the pressures of an Ashes series like that, and trying to acquire the best out of their performance and doing what they can. Maybe at times it was just trying to, in our minds, accept the pressure off the actual Test match, as we’ve done over the previous years. To try and sort of treat it like a normal series, to get the best out of ourselves, and unfortunately it didn’t quite go to plan.”
The 4-1 defeat in Australia left a mark, and Pope admits the team fell short of expectations. “We desire to be a well-liked team, on and off the pitch. Unfortunately, our performance didn’t allow that to happen in Australia.”
Pope’s own position within the England setup is currently uncertain. His struggles during the Ashes tour, where he averaged 20.83 across the first three Tests before being dropped for Jacob Bethell, have raised questions about his future. Bethell’s subsequent strong performances – a century in the fifth Test at Sydney and another in England’s T20 World Cup semi-final defeat to India – have further solidified his place in the team across all formats.
Pope will begin the County Championship season out of the Test side for the first time since the summer of 2022. This shift in dynamics comes after he previously pitched himself as a No.3 batter to captain Ben Stokes four years ago, a position where his average has dropped to 39.59, contributing to an overall Test average of 34.55. He as well lost the vice-captaincy role to Brook at the finish of last summer.
The time away from the Test arena has provided Pope with an opportunity for introspection. He reflected on his dismissals in Brisbane and Adelaide as pivotal moments where he deviated from his usual approach, becoming overly focused on putting pressure back on the bowlers. A soft flick to Nathan Lyon in the first innings of the third Test exemplified this shift in mindset.
“I wouldn’t say there was a massive technical thing, I was probably just too eager to put the bowlers under pressure without necessarily realising it at the time. But when I glance back and reflect on it, that’s probably the mistake that I made,” Pope explained. “There are a couple of soft dismissals, probably in the second and third Test, where I look back and I think that’s pretty uncharacteristic for me for when I’m playing well.”
Despite the disappointment of being dropped, Pope acknowledges the decision was justified. “You can process that and that’s logged now. Obviously it’s disappointing to experience that on the highest level when you want it the most.”
In contrast to Liam Livingstone’s recent criticism of a lack of communication from England following his own axing, Pope described his conversations with McCullum and managing director Rob Key as “pretty decent.” He recognizes that his performances had given them reason to explore other options.
“I guess I knew where I stood,” he said. “Getting dropped is tough. I didn’t want to get dropped of course, but it was the right decision at the time. I just wanted to have an open conversation with Brendon McCullum and then had a call with Rob Key just to see. I know things change between now and the start of the summer, but for me the chats were just ‘go back, score loads of runs’. If I’m not in that XI, can I build sure I’m the best batter in the country? I can take my game to another level, and make sure if something happens, it’s making sure I’m the man to come in.”
Pope’s immediate focus is on performing well for Surrey in the County Championship, with the possibility of shifting down to No.4 alongside Jamie Smith in the middle order. Surrey’s campaign begins away to Warwickshire on , and Pope aims to capitalize on the opportunity to regain his form and stake a claim for a return to the England side.
“I still feel I can become a better player to bat at No.3 if something were to happen. But we’ll see how the next few weeks pans out and going into the season. My summer, I’m not 100% sure what it looks like going forward. We’ve got a block of seven games for Surrey in the Championship, so I just want to make sure my game keeps improving, my game keeps developing, for if and when the England stuff comes around again.”
He acknowledges the benefits of having a sustained period of county cricket. “It’s different when you’re not constantly playing in the Test matches. To have a block like this, I can go back to what really works well for me and make sure my game is in as good a place [as it can be].”
Despite the recent setbacks, Pope remains optimistic about his future. “I’ve played a lot of Test cricket now. Sixty-four Tests, I still feel like my best batting years are to come. That, for me, is to make sure I make the most of the experiences that I’ve had, as well as this time to kick on now.”