By Jo Harman
Ollie Pope began the Test summer in an unfamiliar quandary. The county runs which he’d plundered at such a prolific rate since making his first-class debut in 2017 had suddenly and unexpectedly dried up.
Ten County Championship knocks had brought England’s No.3 a solitary half-century and an average of 22.88 – a dramatic drop-off from his overall first-class average for Surrey of 63.84.
As England’s vice-captain, and with memories of his stunning 196 at Hyderabad in January still fresh, Pope’s Test place was never under any threat. But after making a cathartic century against Wes...