Ollie Pope: Jacob Bethell’s England Test debut spells danger for their out-of-form vice captain

As we ready ourselves for the Jacob Bethell era to begin, the man the debutant has already ousted from the No 3 position in England’s Test team may well be playing for the right to remain part of it.

Ollie Pope is himself only 26 but, as England hand over the reins to a 21-year-old talent at the fall of first wicket, his wretched run of form could result in this rejigged lineup for the tour of New Zealand becoming a more permanent fixture.

England can, and likely will, use the understandable excuse that Pope’s demotion down the order is an attempt to manage the workload of their vice-captain and now stand-in wicketkeeper in the absence of both Jamie Smith and Jordan Cox.

But the selectors must also be intrigued to see if Bethell can provide the spark that Pope has so often failed to at three, otherwise they wouldn’t have picked a man with no first-class century to his name and an average of 25.44 to provide England’s only batting depth in the 15-man squad.

This is who the management team wants to hitch their wagon to, their investment for the future.

“It’s a very, very [Brendon] McCullum, [Ben] Stokes, [Rob] Key selection,” Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain said. “They go on the high ceiling: ‘what can this lad get to?’

“They view this selection as an investment into the future, and see this lad as someone well worth investing in.

“It’s a bit of a gamble, of course it is, but at 21 years of age, Bethel is a supreme talent. He really is.”

Though Bethell likely would not have started the series but for the injury to Cox, that ‘supreme talent’ of his would undoubtedly have been placing added pressure on the already slumped shoulders of Pope, even if from the bench.

Pope knows he is the man in the firing line.

“It’s a big tour for him,” Sky Sports’ Michael Atherton said. “If the spotlight is on anybody, it’s probably on him after a poor tour of Pakistan.

“There’s always one in the sights, isn’t there? And it’s Pope at the moment.”

Zak Crawley operates in a similar ‘feast or famine’ sphere, with zero Test hundreds to his name since his sparkling 189 at Old Trafford in the Ashes last year, but he has hit seven fifties in the 12 Tests since and has formed a dynamic opening partnership with Ben Duckett.

England are also severely lacking in batting depth at opener, hence why Dan Lawrence’s square peg was shoved into the round hole vacated by Crawley when injured for the Sri Lanka series at the back end of the summer.

Joe Root is an all-time great, no matter what Darren Lehmann might have you otherwise believe, Harry Brook averages 56.79 and the admittedly out-of-form Ben Stokes is, well, Ben Stokes – as well as indispensable as skipper.

Pope, meanwhile, averages only 32 in 14 Tests in 2024 – a smidge under his career average of 33.72 – and that’s with the inclusion of three sizeable centuries along the way this year too… 196 vs India in Hyderabad, 121 vs West Indies at Trent Bridge and 154 vs Sri Lanka at The Oval.

Cruel as it may be to rid the record books of those scores, were you to take those three innings away, Pope’s average for the calendar year would be a paltry 14.95. Not what you need from your No 3.

He struggled mightily during England’s 2-1 series defeat to Pakistan in October, averaging 11 and recording a top score of only 29. The final two Tests were played out on turning tracks, but given that the tourists cashed in to the tune of 823-7 declared on an absolute road in Multan for the series opener, Pope’s two-ball duck certainly sticks out.

Anyone can on occasion bag the odd low score, but Pope is doing so with increasing regularity.

Throughout his Test career he has been a fidgety, frenetic starter, guilty at times of jabbing at the ball with hard hands in his eagerness to get his eye in.

Once past that tricky period of those first 20-30 runs, there are few batters easier on the eye, but those twitchy beginnings are not in keeping with your trademark No 3, with the best in the world at that position having the ability to blunt a potent bowling attack with their tails up and/or counter it.

Instead, one wicket is all too often bringing two, serving as a trigger for the kind of collapses we witnessed in Pakistan occurring far too frequently.

Donning the wicketkeeper gloves could earn Pope a stay of execution, that is unless England are to call up a replacement as is expected for the final two Tests, with Durham’s Ollie Robinson seemingly the favourite to get the nod.

That doesn’t necessarily mean he comes straight into the side, though, nor does it mean Pope would definitely be the one to make way if he were to. The Surrey man has done well with the gloves when called upon previously and the added string to his bow might well grant him additional time to rediscover his batting touch, as might the move to No 6 which could free him up and ease some of that burden on his shoulders.

Bethell’s introduction to Test cricket, despite the protestations from the contrary from within the England camp, might also be coming too soon. Unless he were to sparkle in some style on debut – which is more than feasible – the preference may well be to bring him through slowly and shield the youngster from the more piercing spotlight of Test cricket as he makes his way in the white-ball arena.

But, all this said, there can be no doubt that Pope is a man in need of a score. And not just one big feast before another run of low scores.

If not, Bethell stands to capitalise and get himself comfortable in that England top order, not allowing Pope back in.

England’s Test tour of New Zealand

First Test: November 28-December 2 (Christchurch)
Second Test: December 6-10 (Wellington)
Third Test: December 14-18 (Hamilton)