SM
Brighton vs. Man City: 2 hrs 7 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Ollie Pope "ready to go" if needed for second Test

:Headline: Ollie Pope 'ready to go' if needed for second Test: ID:384578: from db_amp
The Surrey batsmen missed the first Test through illness.

Ollie Pope is "ready to go" if England call him up for the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town.

Pope missed the first Test in Centurion after going down with a fever.

But the Surrey batsmen is now fully recovered and eager to take his chance if the England selectors give him the nod ahead of Jonny Bairstow when the second Test gets under way at Newlands on Friday.

"My game is in a good place and, if I do get the nod, I will be ready to go," Pope told BBC 5 Live.

The start of England's tour has been blighted by illness to a number of players and Pope, Chris Woakes and Jack Leach all had to sit out the Centurion Test.

Chris Woakes, like Pope, missed the first Test in Centurion through illness (Mike Egerton/PA Images).

"I think there have been a few different symptons flying about and it has swept through pretty much the whole camp so there was not much we could do abouti it," said Pope.

"I was feverish. For the first two days I stayed in bed. But I am feeling OK now. I am on the mend and ready to go."

England went into the first Test with an all-seam bowling attack and Pope predicts the Newlands pitch will be the key to whether or not the selectors opt to include a spinner for the second Test.

"To be honest looking at the way the game went (in Centurion) I don't think that (playing without a spinner) was a massive downfall.

"I'm not really sure what the Newlands pitch is like. If it is a quick bouncy wicket then maybe five seamers is the way to go. If it looks pretty dry then maybe a spinner will be involved."

England lost the opening Test by 107 runs.

amp_article__384578 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-12-31 09:59:29:
html db last update - 2021-03-09 13:31:44 :

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:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Liverpool34228475344174
3Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916
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.



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