Ollie Pope is an English professional batsman who plays for Surrey in the county cricket. Born in Chelsea, London, this right-hander batsman has played 36 tests for his nation and scored over 2000 runs, including four centuries and eleven half-centuries. He made his test debut in August, 2018 against India. Though he is a regular batsman for his team in the longest format of the game, he is yet to represent his country in ODIs and T20s. In this article, we will have a look at the top ten test knocks by this Englishman.
1. 67 Vs South Africa
Pope’s 10th best test knock came against the Proteas in September, 2022 at the Oval, London in the third test match of the series. After losing Lees early in their innings, Pope came out to bat and scored a decent knock of 67 runs in just 77 balls. He hit 13 boundaries and had a strike-rate of over 87. It turned out to be a very low-scoring game which was ultimately won by the home side.
2. 73 Vs South Africa
In the first test match of the same series at the iconic Lord’s, Ollie Pope once again played a brilliant knock. Coming out to bat at no. 3, he played a steady knock of 73 runs in 102 balls, hitting the ball five times to the fence. He was the highest run-getter of his side in the first innings, in which England got bowled out for a meager total of just 165. England’s terrible batting in both their innings cost them the match as the visitors won by an innings and twelve runs.
3. 75 Vs New Zealand
In reply to New Zealand’s total of 375 in their first innings in the second test of the series at Hamilton, England began their first innings batting quite superbly. After Rory Burns and Joe Root contributed huge runs on the board, it was Ollie Pope’s turn to make an impact. He played a fine, slow and steady knock of 75 off 202 balls, having a strike-rate of just above 37. He hit 6 boundaries in this innings. Both the teams played equally well and the match ended in a draw.
4. 81 Vs India
Pope played a crucial knock of 81 runs when his team was in deep trouble in the first innings of the fourth test between India and England at the Oval in 2021. England had already lost four quick wickets for just 53 runs when Pope came out to bat. He faced 159 balls and hit 6 boundaries before being dismissed by Shardul Thakur. He had a strike-rate of just around 50. He was the only performer in the first innings for his team. Though England managed to establish a 100-run lead in their first innings, an abysmal batting in the second cost them the match, helping India win the match by 157 runs.
5. 82 Vs New Zealand
Another of Pope’s classy innings came against the Kiwis in June, 2022 at Leeds in the final test of the series. Chasing 296 in the fourth innings, England lost early wickets of both their openers with just 51 runs on the board. Pope and Root then steadied the innings. While Root scored 86, Pope scored 82 runs in 108 balls. Pope’s innings comprised a dozen boundaries and he had a strike-rate of around 75. Both these batsmen helped England cross the finishing line and win the match by 7 wickets.
6. 91 Vs West Indies
Pope came very close to his second test century against the West Indies in July, 2020 at Manchester in the third test of the series. Facing 150 balls, he scored 91 odd runs, hitting 11 boundaries. He had a decent strike-rate of around 60 in this innings. However, just as he was approaching his three-figure mark, he was dismissed by Gabriel, just nine short of the landmark. England won the match comprehensively by 269 runs.
7. 108 Vs Pakistan
Pope’s third test century came against the Men in Green in December, 2022 in the first test of the series at Rawalpindi, Pakistan. He was amongst the four batters to have crossed the three-figure mark in England’s first innings. He scored a quickfire 108 off just 104 balls, striking at an impressive rate of over 100. His century comprised as many as 14 boundaries. Though it was a close encounter between the two sides, the visitors emerged victorious as they won the match by 74 runs.
8. 135* Vs South Africa
The right-hander’s first ever test century came against the Proteas at Port Elizabeth in January, 2020 when the two sides locked horns in the third test of the series. Coming out to bat first, England lost few early wickets. Facing 226 balls, Ollie Pope scored a brilliant knock of 135 runs, smashing 18 boundaries and a huge six. He had a strike-rate of just around 58. Thanks to Stokes’ and Pope’s centuries, England posted a huge total of 499 in their first innings, which eventually helped them to win the match comfortably. Pope was made the Man of the Match for his outstanding batting display.
9. 145 Vs New Zealand
Pope’s yet another magnificent test century came against the Black Caps at Nottingham in July, 2022. In reply to the Kiwis’ first innings total of 553, Ollie Pope and Joe Root were the two chief contributors in the English innings. Pope played a steady knock of 145 runs in 239 balls, smashing 13 boundaries and 3 sixes. The Root-Pope partnership propelled England to a total of 539 in their first innings.
10. 205 Vs Ireland
Ollie Pope reached yet another milestone in his test career in the only test of the series against Ireland at Lord’s in June, 2023. In the first innings, Pope was in sublime form as he scored his maiden test double-century which came in just 208 balls. He smashed 22 boundaries and 3 towering sixes, and had a strike-rate of around 98. His stunning knock, along with others’ contributions helped the hosts post a mammoth total of 524 in their first innings and eventually win the match by a huge margin as well. No wonder Pope was awarded the Man of the Match award for his stunning performance.
