OLLIE Pope’s return to Test cricket saw the batsman make the third highest Test score of his career, a timely knock of 81 which rescued England from a parlous situation.
The home side were 53-4 in their first innings when Pope came to the crease, and 62-5 soon after when Dawid Malan was dismissed.
Pope, playing his 20th Test, has always been a busy, proactive batsman though that has sometimes verged on the frenetic – to his detriment. On Friday, though he got it right, his intent not to be cowed by the situation balanced by a calm determination to occupy the crease and despatch the bad ball....