WEST INDIES TOUR OF ENGLAND 2020
Ollie Pope scored an unbeaten 55 in the practice game © Getty
Ollie Pope says the intensity of England’s training camp, and the three-day warm-up game that concluded on Friday at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, has put the squad in a good place ahead of the Test series against West Indies which begins next week.
The practice game between Team Stokes and Team Buttler ended in a draw on the final day with Pope making 55 not out in Team Buttler’s second innings to go with his 25 on day one. Team Stokes then finished on 157 for 4 with Jonny Bairstow, Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley and Ben Stokes all spending useful time in the middle.
For the most part, the game seemed to be played in a competitive manner and the majority of the contenders for a place in England’s final eleven against the West Indies next week spent time in the middle with either ball or bat. Overall, it was about as good a tune up for next week’s first Test as England’s management could have hoped for.
“The quality of competition going on out there was really high-class throughout the three days,” Pope said. “I think we’re getting there. I felt pretty good in the first innings, and it was nice to spend a bit more time out there today. We’re all moving the right direction.”
According to Pope, the Ageas Bowl wicket was on the slow side which stood in contrast to the net pitches the 30-man squad have been training on since they arrived in Southampton last Tuesday (June 23). It made for an interesting challenge for the batsmen, in particular, forcing them to adapt to the different conditions.
“It was quite a slow wicket,” Pope said of the warm-up match pitch. “On the first day it felt a little bit soft, and there wasn’t a lot of carry. Nicks weren’t always carrying through. We’re not sure what kind of wicket we’re going to get out there come next Wednesday, but it was quite slow. It started turning a little bit at the end.
“We’ve played on some quite spicy wickets in the nets, and obviously just against our own bowlers. There are no net bowlers around, so the quality of bowling has been seriously high on some pretty spicy wickets.
“Sometimes it’s trying to get through the net and keep your wicket rather than feeling good and finding the middle of the bat. We’re gone from one extreme to the other. That’s great for our games because it’s good to adapt.”
Another thing England’s players will have to adapt to over the next three weeks is the lack of spectators. While playing a warm-up game in front of empty stands is one thing, taking to the field in a Test match behind closed doors will be a strange experience for England’s squad and Pope says the team will be thinking of ways to create their own atmosphere out in the middle.
“When we have big crowds in and the Barmy Army are here it is amazing but we’ll still be playing Test cricket and it’s still the pinnacle,” Pope said. “Even if there’s not a single person in the crowd it’s still what we all dreamed of doing. There will still be the same nerves in the morning because so much rides on it. When that Test match starts up, crowd or no crowd, you are going to be really up for it.
“It has been quiet, especially at a ground like this where there is nothing going on outside the ground and no real noise out there, but that doesn’t change the quality of the cricket. Whether we are going to play a bit of music out of the speakers I’m not sure but we can find ways of creating our own atmosphere I’m sure. We’ve got to find a way to do that when we get on top or when we need a bit of energy.”
England will name a larger than normal 22-man squad on Saturday morning for the opening Test. The extended group of players will provide cover for illness or injury without the need for England to call in replacements from outside the bio-secure bubble that has been created at the Ageas Bowl. The squad and management will be tested for COVID-19 on Sunday as part of the ECB’s planned testing schedule.
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