Pope hoping Test century in England will silence doubters

Pope is nine short of three figures after the first day of the deciding Test at Old Trafford having steadied the ship alongside Jos Buttler (56 not out) in an unbroken 136-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

England will resume on Saturday on 258-4 with Pope seeking a second Test century in his 10th match, and his first on English soil.

The 22-year-old had scored 97 combined in his previous seven Tests against India and West Indies, and feels judgements on him in the longest format have been reached prematurely.

"It would be a massive achievement for myself," Pope said of making a century.

"So far, I think I've played four Test matches before this in England. I haven't scored the runs that I would like.

"People talk a little bit and I've seen some comments but it's not a massive sample size to take it from. I've played all my first-class cricket in England.

"I don't look into that stuff too much but to get over the line would be a nice feeling. Those nine runs, hopefully they will come at some point."

Pope was particularly pleased to return to his Old Trafford hotel room not having to ruminate on a failure with the bat.

Both teams have remained in the bubble throughout the series in Southampton and Manchester, meaning there has been nowhere for Pope to hide after difficult days out in the middle.

"It's a really nice feeling this evening," Pope, who had scored 43 in his four previous innings in the series, added.

"I've missed out in those first two games. We've not been able to get away.

"You are brought back to your hotel after you've got out in the last two overs of the day and you're looking at over the cricket ground, there's no real escape from it.

"You can't go out for dinner, can't go for a coffee, see your family, it isn't easy.

"You can naturally think about your batting, think about your failures a little bit more than normal. To get a few runs today, it is a nice feeling."

• 
  England Vs West Indies, 3rd Test, Day 1 Highlights: Pope and Buttler revive hosts, give them edge
• 
  IPL 2020: Details of venues in UAE, history, capacity, records, match details
• 
  West Indies looking to host SA in September but waiting for IPL 2020 dates: CWI CEO
• 
  Kings XI Punjab co-owner Ness Wadia says IPL 2020 will be most watched ever
• 
  Haroon Lorgat calls for independent inquiry into 'collapsed' T20 Global League
• 
  Jofra Archer brings that X-Factor which every good team needs: Carlos Brathwaite
• 
  D10 League: Full schedule, squads, players' list, venues, timing, live streaming
• 
  Virat Kohli reveals how Sachin Tendulkar helped him turnaround his career after disastrous tour to England in 2014
• 
  IPL 2020: After New Zealand, Cricket Australia consider issuing NOC to its players
• 
  England vs West Indies: Teams to compete for Richards-Botham Trophy in the future
• 
  IPL set to start on September 19, final on November 8, teams to leave base by Aug 20: BCCI sources
• 
  Root vows to protect Stokes, England's inveterate match-winner

Get breaking news alerts.

Allow Notifications

You have already subscribed

Let's block ads! (Why?)

Via https://www.mykhel.com/cricket/pope-hoping-test-century-in-england-will-silence-doubters-148076.html?utm_source=/rss/sports-cricket-fb.xml&utm_medium=2.16.110.133&utm_campaign=client-rss