2025 Men's Ashes: Ollie Pope In Focus
Author: Tom Penn
Updated At:
The chatter has started, and it was no surprise to see David Warner, although he is retired from Test cricket, kick it all off when he started describing Joe Root as having a surfboard on his front pad and backing Josh Hazlewood to get him LBW a few times in the 2025 Men's Ashes.
Following Warner's inflamatory remarks, the legendary Glenn McGrath threw further fuel on the fire and in his own unchangeable way told anyone who would listen that his prediction, unsurprisingly, was another 5-0 win for Australia!
With only one Test victory for England down-under since 2011, it is the Aussies who will start this series as favourites with the bookies, but the Bazball revolution means there is growing confidence in England's supporters that something different will occur this time.
Australia get their two white ball series underway against South Africa on Sunday while England's fit players are in action in the Hundred, with vice-captain Ollie Pope at London Spirit.
We zoom in on Pope in this article, as his place in the England Test side remains up for debate!
Ollie Pope's England Test Career
At 27 years of age and with 61 Tests under his belt, Ollie Pope should be coming into the peak of his career. However, question marks remain over his place in the England Test XI and a poor Men's Ashes series down-under later this year could well see him jettisoned.
He is also approaching an England record, with 61 Tests completed, he is ten away from equalling Mark Butcher's number of 71 red ball internationals without ever playing an ODI!
| Tests | Innings | Not-Outs | Runs | Highest Score | Average |
| 61 | 107 | 5 | 3607 | 205 | 35.36 |
Career Highlights So Far
- 205 vs Ireland, Lord's 2023
- 196 vs India, Hyderabad 2024
- 171 vs Zimbabwe, Trent Bridge 2025
- 154 vs Sri Lanka, The Oval 2024
His 196 against India remains one of the best overseas innings ever seen by an English Test batter but the other three of his top scores leaves him open to accusations for turning it on against the weaker sides.
Pope in the second innings
No one doubts the qualities of the right-hander but there is plenty of concern about his lack of contributions in the second half of Tests. This is particularly an issue in this Bazballing England side who love to field first and then chase in the fourth innings.
| Innings | Highest Score | Average |
| 1st | 171 | 52.14 |
| 2nd | 205 | 42.09 |
| 3rd | 196 | 22.52 |
| 4th | 82 | 16.70 |
The above figures show that Pope is a vital part of England's line-up in the first half of Tests but not so useful, potentially when the pressure is on, in the second half. Useful data to have in mind when considering your cricket betting plans.
Pope in Australia
It is not unusual for an English batter to have a poor record in Australia but Pope really does have some improving to do during this 2025 Men's Ashes series.
His only previous tour down-under saw him bat six times with a top score of 35 and averaged a very disappointing 11.16.
Pope the captain
The Surrey star is Ben Stokes' right-hand man and is considered to be an excellent confidant in his role as vice-captain.
However, Stokes is a whole-hearted player who has a body that can creak and most pundits would not expect him to get through five Tests in Australia, on those rock hard surfaces, without needing a rest - as seen in the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy when the all-rounder missed the final Test.
With the bat, Pope's test average dips from 36.20 to a disappointing 26.66 when standing in for Stokes and England's record with him as captain has seen him lose twice at his home ground.
| Opposition | Venue | Result |
| Sri Lanka | Old Trafford | Won by five wickets |
| Sri Lanka | Lord's | Won by 190 runs |
| Sri Lanka | The Oval | Lost by eight wickets |
| Pakistan | Multan | Won by an innings & 47 runs |
| India | The Oval | Lost by six runs |
Will Pope be required to lead the team in Australia? Could he even be the man who will lead England to their first Test victory down-under since 2011? Or will he still be in the team come the end of the series?
As ever, question marks surround Ollie Pope as he goes into a crucial Test series.
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