Ollie Pope to play in first Ashes Test as Jonny Bairstow misses out

GEORGE DOBELL IN SYDNEY: Pope, the 23-year-old from Surrey, scored 81 in the first innings of England’s most recent Test (against India at the Kia Oval in September) and has long been seen as the most promising young batter in the country

Ollie Pope has won the battle to bat at No. 6 in England’s side for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane.

Pope, the 23-year-old from Surrey, scored 81 in the first innings of England’s most recent Test (against India at the Kia Oval in September) and has long been seen as the most promising young batter in the country. He averages 73.22 in first-class cricket for Surrey.

Jonny Bairstow had looked in position to retain his place going into the warm-up match last week. He had been preferred to Pope in the team that was due to play at Emirates Old Trafford in the abandoned Test against India in September and batted at No. 6 in the final warm-up game.

But he was dismissed twice in making just 11 runs and, with his Test average having dropped to 33.70 – it hit a high of 41.95 in October 2016 – he finds himself out of the side. His last Test century came in November 2018 – 36 innings ago – and, in 22 Tests since August 18, 2018, he averages 21.22.

^{Jonny Bairstow misses out on the first Ashes Test (Chris Hyde/Getty Images)}

Pope has also struggled in Test cricket in recent times. Since what at the time appeared to be a breakthrough tour of South Africa at the start of 2020, he has averaged 25.47 in 13 Tests. He has reached 35 only once in his 17 most recent Test innings.

But he is said to have impressed in training and is thought to have a game that is well-suited to the conditions. It may also be that the team management want to demonstrate their confidence in a man who is seen as a huge part of the future of the team.

Pope is part of a 12-man squad England have named for the match.

With James Anderson left out as a precaution with a view to the pink-ball Test that follows swiftly behind this one, the final place will be depend on whether the management decide to include the spin of Jack Leach. If they do, one of the seamers – probably Stuart Broad – will miss out.

^{Ollie Pope comes into the England side (Chris Hyde/Getty Images)}

Joe Root has mentioned in recent days that Brisbane was “a good place to bowl spin” - Nathan Lyon takes his wickets at a cost of 31.00 apiece on the ground; better than his career average of 32.12 – but it remains possible England will field five seamers.

The weather forecast suggests the match may be interrupted by rain more than once and the team management remain concerned that the seamers have not an opportunity to build up their workloads on the tour in the way they would have liked.

Anderson had a lengthy bowl in training on Tuesday as he builds towards the second Test in Adelaide.

England (from): J Root (c), S Broad, R Burns, J Buttler (wkt), H Hameed, J Leach, D Malan, O Pope, O Robinson, B Stokes, C Woakes, M Wood.

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