Skipper Joe Root has confirmed that Ollie Pope will make his England debut in the second Test match against India, which starts on Thursday at Lord’s.
Surrey batsman Pope comes into the side in place of Dawid Malan, who has been dropped following England’s 31-run win in the first Test at Edgbaston. Pope, 20, will bat at No.4 at Lord’s.
Root has named a 12-man squad for the match against Virat Kohli’s India and a decision will be made on if Moeen Ali or Chris Woakes replaces Ben Stokes. Seam bowler Jamie Porter missed out from the original 13-man squad.
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All-rounder Stokes misses the second Test because of his court trial. Stokes is accused of affray following an incident in Bristol last September.
Root told Sky Sports: “Ollie will come in and bat at four. He’s obviously batted at six for Surrey this season - but having seen him play a little bit, and the way his game is set up, I think it’s very much transferable to bat at No.4 in Test cricket.
“I know that might be seen as quite a big jump. But he’s obviously an exciting talent and, with the guys around him, I think he fits nicely into that position in our team.”
In an interview with The Guardian, Pope said he was “confident” in his game and is “ready for the next step” of Test cricket.
England’s 12-man squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes
How to watch on TV
Sky Sports Cricket will show live coverage of the second Test between England and India at Lord’s. Coverage begins at 10am and the match will start at 11am.
England vs. India fixtures and results
ODI results
- 1st T20: India won by eight wickets
- 2nd T20: England won by five wickets
- 3rd T20: India won by seven wickets (India won the series 2-1)
- 1st ODI: India won by eight wickets
- 14 July: England won by 86 runs
- 17 July: England won by eight wickets (England won the series 2-1)
Test results and fixtures
- 1st Test, Edgbaston: England won by 31 runs
- 9-13 August: 2nd Test at Lord’s, 11am daily start
- 18-22 August: 3rd Test at Trent Bridge, 11am
- 30 August-3 September: 4th Test at the Ageas Bowl, 11am
- 7-11 September: 5th Test at the Oval, 11am
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