England vice-captain Ollie Pope has retained his place at number three for first Test against India.
LONDON – England vice-captain Ollie Pope has retained his place at number three for the first Test against India, meaning rising star Jacob Bethell must wait for his return to red-ball internationals.
The pair were in competition for the same spot heading into the first of a five-Test series at Headingley starting on Friday. Bethell impressed on the New Zealand tour in November and December before Pope underlined his credentials with an innings of 171 against Zimbabwe last month. Bethell missed that match, opting instead to play for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League, although he showed his international quality during the recent white-ball series against the West Indies. Pope has been a mainstay in the Test side under England coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, taking over as skipper for four Tests last year when the all-rounder tore a hamstring. But there have been concerns over his lack of runs against India and Australia, two of England's toughest rivals and their opponents over the next 10 Tests, with an Ashes tour of Australia following the India series. The 27-year-old Pope averages a modest 35.49 over his 56-Test career, but that drops to 24.60 against India and an even more concerning 15.70 in five Ashes appearances. Stokes suggested there was an "agenda" against Pope after quotes he gave about Bethell's return to the Test squad were interpreted as a suggestion he would come straight back into the XI. While Bethell is regarded as one of English cricket's most talented prospects, the 21-year-old Warwickshire all-rounder has yet to score a hundred in any type of professional cricket. England have made two changes to the team that beat Zimbabwe by an innings inside three days at Trent Bridge. The experienced Chris Woakes returns in place of the injured Gus Atkinson to lead the attack and paceman Brydon Carse winning his first home cap at the expense of Sam Cook.Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes , Jamie Smith , Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib BashirNearly two centuries on, quiet settles on Afghanistan's British Cemetery
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