Ollie Pope believes England could score 600 runs in a single day of Test cricket under the right conditions with Ben Stokes leading the team.
Pope, along with Harry Brook and Joe Root, scored centuries in England’s 241-run victory over the West Indies in the second Test at Trent Bridge. This win marked the first time in Test cricket’s 147-year history that England surpassed 400 runs in both innings of a match.
Pope was also one of four century-makers when England scored 506-4 on the first day against Pakistan at Rawalpindi in December 2022, despite facing only 75 overs. He believes the team can exceed this feat and adapt to more challenging conditions as they refine their aggressive ‘Bazball’ approach.
“When Baz (England coach Brendon McCullum) and Stokesy took over, we were a batting unit lacking confidence,” said Pope. “Now it’s about becoming more ruthless. Sometimes we might score 280-300 in a day, but that’s OK because we’re reading situations.”
The 26-year-old Surrey star added, “At Trent Bridge, when the lights were on and it started swinging, we managed the game, and we want to keep improving at that. But there might be a day when we score 500 or 600. That’s a cool thing to aim for.”
England has won a Test series for the first time since 2022, leading 2-0 against the West Indies ahead of the final match at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Previous draws against New Zealand and Australia in 2023, and a 4-1 loss to India, had stalled England’s progress.
Significant team changes have since been made, with new talent replacing experienced players like James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes, and Jack Leach. Newcomers Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, and Jamie Smith have made impressive starts.
“There were tough calls to make, but we now have a balanced team,” said Pope. “We want to give players confidence and build the team around them, but there’s always pressure for spots. The new guys have done beautifully, and we can keep building from here.”
