Saturday at Headingley. Fancy costume. A bunch of clergymen took their place on the Western Terrace.

Perhaps there was a universe the place Ollie Pope joined them in watching from the sidelines. Perhaps his place was by no means underneath any severe risk from Jacob Bethell.

If it had taken a leap of religion from Ben Stokes to retain his vice-captain at quantity three for the primary Check towards India, then Pope picked the proper time to play the grateful disciple.

A day after Stokes put England underneath the pump by giving freely the prospect to bat first, Pope’s century provided the captain a approach out of purgatory, the quantity three 100 not out in England’s 209-3, 262 behind India’s 471.

“It sums up and proves why he is England quantity three,” mentioned opener Ben Duckett, who made 62 in a stand of 122 with Pope.

There’s an argument to counsel any debate between Pope and Bethell is ludicrous. On Saturday, Pope pushed his common as England’s first-drop to 45.19, whereas Bethell has by no means made a century in skilled cricket.

However numbers alone by no means inform the total story. Pope’s stats masks a feast-or-famine profession – earlier than this recreation 34% of his Check runs had are available solely six of his earlier 98 knocks. Pope could be a nervous, skittish presence on the crease. The calm Bethell appears born to be a world batter.

Stokes put the dialog to mattress on Thursday, pointing to the 171 Pope made towards Zimbabwe in Nottingham in Might. Stokes mentioned it might have been “outstanding” to go away him out after such an innings, with out ever elaborating on what might need occurred had Pope failed at Trent Bridge.

“There’s noise outdoors of a dressing room however there is no noise in it,” mentioned Duckett.

“We’re not having discussions about who’s going to play. It appeared fairly clear coming into this Check match that if a bloke scores 171 a number of weeks in the past he will play this one.”

Nonetheless, Pope acknowledged the necessity to enhance his report towards India and Australia, the 2 sides England face throughout 10 defining Assessments for the Stokes period.

The 196 he made towards India in Hyderabad early final 12 months is without doubt one of the all-time nice innings by an Englishman abroad, however other than that he has delivered slim returns towards the 2 greatest groups on this planet.

Earlier than Headingley, Pope had a mean of twenty-two.05 in a mixed 18 Assessments towards India and Australia.