SM
Greece vs. England: 2 hrs 42 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

England

Ollie Pope confident England will not let intensity drop behind closed doors

:Headline: Ollie Pope confident England will not let intensity drop behind closed doors: ID:405051: from db_amp
England face the West Indies in a three-Test series behind closed doors.

Ollie Pope insists England will not allow the absence of fans to dial down their Test match intensity when they face the West Indies in a deserted Ageas Bowl next week.

England's 29-man training group warmed-up for the return of international cricket with a three-day internal match in Southampton and many were struck by the eerie silence that greeted them in the ground.

There has been some talk of piping in crowd noise or using music between overs to fill the void but Pope, who made a free-flowing 55 not out on the final afternoon before the match ended in a draw, is sure that the occasion will not be diminished.

Fast bowler Mark Wood made his own attempt at lifting the spirits this week, at one stage singing Jerusalem from the top of the pavilion while waving a flag as the teams walked out to the field of play.

"I hope he does it again, it was outstanding. He's got the voice of angel," said Pope, in a charitable review of his team-mate's tunefulness.

Pope's half-century was one among a handful of useful batting contributions on the final day of the intra-squad match, with a further seven players passing 30.

Of those there were lengthy stays for openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley, each occupying the crease for more than an hour and 45 minutes, while Zak Crawley looked in good touch. Ben Stokes, next week's stand-in captain, launched Matt Parkinson for three sixes in an over and finished with 33 not out in just 17 balls before the draw was agreed.

Ben Stokes found the boundary for his team (Stu Forster/Pool/PA)

Yet the most welcome development of the day came from someone who was not even involved, with Sam Curran testing negative for Covid-19. He spent Thursday's play self-isolating in his room after feeling unwell but he was given the all-clear during the afternoon and emerged to watch the final session from pitch-side.

"I think we were trying to focus on the cricket but I don't know how you deal with those situations," Pope said of the overnight health scare.

"It's good he tested negative for the virus and he's feeling a lot better and ready to go. It was nice to see him back out there today."

Curran and Pope can both expect to survive the next squad cut on Saturday morning, with selectors keeping on 22 players ahead of the first Test. Captain Joe Root has already left the group to be with his family for the birth of his second child.

amp_article__405051 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-07-03 19:24:47:
html db last update - 2020-07-03 19:24:47 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Ollie Pope

Click here for more stories about England

Share this article now:
Read more about Ollie Pope Cricket
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .