Ollie Pope will continue as England’s stand-in wicketkeeper for the second Test against New Zealand (John Davidson/Photosport via AP). (Image: Getty)
Ollie Pope will continue his role as England’s stand-in wicketkeeper for the approaching second Test against New Zealand. England’s team remains unchanged, retaining Jacob Bethell in the number three spot following their first Test triumph.
Despite Jordan Cox’s thumb injury prompting last-minute line-up changes in Christchurch, debutant Bethell and impromptu wicketkeeper Pope excelled, even shuffling down to bat at six and scoring 77 runs.
Bench-warming Durham player Ollie Robinson won’t be stepping onto Wellington’s Basin Reserve pitch this week as the squad aims to replicate their first-match success, an eight-wicket win sealed on day four at Hagley Oval.
With Pope earning plaudits for his behind-the-stumps performance and Bethell impressing with a spirited half-century, the selectors have seen fit to maintain the winning combination.
Chris Woakes was full of praise for team-mate Ollie Pope (Rory Dollard/PA) (Image: Getty)
England spearhead Chris Woakes was quick to commend Pope’s adaptability to his emergency wicketkeeping duties: “He was brilliant last week, stepping into a role he hasn’t done a lot of.
“They always say when you don’t notice a keeper he’s done a good job and Ollie certainly did that. To step up at short notice like that and do the job he did was fantastic.
“For him to score runs just shows his character, putting his hand up for the team without any fuss and cracking on. To move to number six, get such a good score for us and contribute to a big partnership was massive.”
The second Test is set to kick off at 10pm GMT on Thursday.