‘Not just one-dimensional team’ – Ollie Pope on England boycotting Bazball against Sri Lanka

Ollie Pope of England at a press conference. (Photo by Philip Brown/Getty Images)

England defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets in Manchester to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. After dismissing the visitors for 326 runs in the second innings, England had a daunting task on their hands as the Ollie Pope-led side were asked to chase 204 runs in the final innings of the game. They lost a couple of quick wickets and were reduced to 70/3 at one stage, which gave Sri Lanka the belief to pick up a win.

That’s when England completely changed their strategy and boycotted the Bazball approach to get back into the contest. Under Ben Stokes, the Three Lions never shied from playing an aggressive brand of cricket but in Manchester, the conditions changed, which forced England to adopt a new style. Batting at number four, Joe Root made 62* runs off 128 balls while Harry Brook took time to settle as well but that helped England win the match.

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After the game, stand-in captain Pope explained that to find the desired result, England had to switch their template. He reminded that the players are not one-dimensional and can change gears when required.

“I think another day you might see us try and knock that score off in 20 overs fewer but that was the nature of the pitch and a pretty slow outfield as well. This is not just a one-dimensional team where we want to go out and score quickly,” Pope was quoted as saying by The Daily Star.

“It’s a team where we want to keep reading situations slightly better and try and be as ruthless as we can. It’s not all about just trying to score as fast as we can, it’s about getting the job done as well,” he added.

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Pope also shared an update on Mark Wood’s injury. The England pacer was ruled out of Day 4 and is expected to miss the second Test at Lord’s as well. However, the captain clarified that nothing is set in stone and the team management will take a call before the next match, which is slated to begin on August 29.

“We’re going to see how he pulls up and go from there. Nothing is set in stone,” Pope said.