England batsman Ollie Pope embraces Ian Bell comparison

Sachin Tendulkar and Kevin Pietersen see shades of Bell in the Surrey youngster - a similarity he is more than comfortable with

• Pope out for four months with second shoulder problem

Ollie Pope has no problem with being compared to Ian Bell, feeling that such attention is natural given his increased presence in the England Test team.

Sachin Tendulkar and Kevin Pietersen have both noted how the Surrey batsman's tidy technique reminds them of Bell, who announced his retirement from professional cricket this month.

Thirty-eight-year-old Bell played 118 Tests for his country, scoring 22 centuries and was part of five Ashes-winning squads.

And while Pope is only 13 matches into his own international career he has no problem with the added exposure which results in such comparisons.

"I can only see it as a positive," Pope told BBC Sport. "Ian Bell was fantastic to watch but to be honest it's a lot more coincidence rather than me copying him.

"With it being my first proper home series, obviously I played in the winter, but my first proper home series where I got a good run, a lot more England fans were probably watching and made that comparison a little bit more."

Been watching the 3rd Test, @OPope32 seems to have modeled his batting on @Ian_Bell.
His stance and footwork looks exactly the same to me. #ENGvWI pic.twitter.com/sEvNKr1YFZ

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 24, 2020

Pope endured a tough summer, averaging just 26.87 with the bat and it ended prematurely as he suffered a second shoulder injury in as many years.

Though currently undergoing rehab on the injury, the 22-year-old already has eyes on the winter which could include facing India in the United Arab Emirates - ahead of another Ashes duel in 2021-22.

"There's a big series against India in the summer and this winter so they are going to be the primary focus but I'm sure there will be work going on behind the scenes to prepare for the Ashes," he added.

"I'm sure we'll be doing a little bit of, maybe, left-arm quick stuff and a bit of extra pace in the background just to get ready for the Australia trip but I think the signs were good in South Africa last winter."

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