Ollie Pope Lauds Root, Brook After England Beat Pakistan in First Test

England captain Ollie Pope commended his team’s comprehensive performance after their innings and 47-run victory over Pakistan in Multan. Highlighting the contributions from both the bowlers and batters, Pope reflected on the crucial factors that led to the win.

“Credit to the bowlers for the way they went about their stuff on Day 1 and the majority of Day 2. The fitness they showed, and the same with Brook and Root. The way to win this game was to put a mammoth score on the board. It wasn’t just a hundred, but it was 260 and 315 or whatever. Credit to them, obviously the skills they have and the determination to put the team in a winning position. It was awesome,” Pope said in the post-match presentation.

The England skipper acknowledged the strategic importance of their first innings score and how it positioned them advantageously.
“When you bat first and make 550, you think you’re in the driving seat there. But when you come out to bat again, and you’re 260 behind, and the pitch is three days older, it’s never an easy thing to do,” he explained.

Pope also touched on the varied wicket-taking opportunities that the bowlers exploited.

“We had a lot of different wicket-taking opportunities. The odd ball was staying low, the odd ball was reversing and we got the odd ball to spin as well. It’s never an easy position to be in when you’re 260 behind. Even if you bat as well as you can and make 400 in that last innings, we still would’ve backed ourselves and chased 140 or so,” he added.

He praised individual performances, particularly those of the batsmen and debutant Brydon Carse.

“The way the two guys with the big runs played was real credit to them. He obviously got some crucial wickets, set some clever fields and he got batters hitting shots in areas they didn’t want to do. The way Brydon bowled on debut was awesome. Charged in, showed a lot of heart and never complained once,” Pope remarked.

Additionally, Pope highlighted Jack Leach’s impact on his return to the side.

“And Leach. Coming back into the side this week – he’s had some success here before. He’s fit right back into the team. Taken some crucial wickets for us as well,” he noted.

Reflecting on his own performance, Pope remained team-focused.
”

That’s the game. I smoked a pull shot straight to midwicket. Unfortunately I was the one to miss out this week but it’s a team game and what matters is that we’re on the right side,” he concluded.

Pope’s comments underline the collective effort and strategic execution that propelled England to their commanding victory over Pakistan.

MUST READ | Shan Masood On Pakistan Losing To England In First Test: What Hurts…

(With inputs from ANI)