Ollie Pope admitted he was feeling the pressure after a poor run coming into the third Test against the West Indies in Manchester and hence, his yet unbeaten 91 on Day 1 was a real "weight off the shoulders".
He struggled initially but found his best touch after being set, playing shots on both sides of the wicket and strengthening England's quest to win the series-decider. The hosts ended with 258/4 at stumps after being put in to bat on losing the toss, with Jos Buttler (56*) also not out alongside Pope.
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"It’s a really nice feeling and a little bit of a weight off the shoulders. I’ve missed out in the first two games and not being able to get away from it, you walk back to your hotel room, it overlooks the cricket ground...there’s really no escape," Pope said in a virtual conference after Day 1.
Pope said the string of low scores had been made more difficult to deal with by the bubble that players find themselves in for this series amid COVID-19 pandemic.
"You can’t go out for dinner or a coffee, you can’t see your family. It isn’t easy and you can think about your failures a bit more than normal. But the lads get around you and everyone’s tight-knit, so if anyone is mentally struggling a bit then we’ve got each other’s backs," he said.
"Hopefully I can go on and make a big one. But that’s part of cricket, you have to stay as level as possible – especially as a batter – because there are as many bad days as good days, even for the best in the world. You have to deal with them in the best way possible."
Pope was hit dangerously on his head by a bouncer from Kemar Roach, which the youngster impressively put behind him and stayed focused on the job.
"Sometimes things like that make you switch on and today sums up batting pretty perfectly. I didn’t feel great for the first 50 runs and got a bit of luck, edging one that dropped just short," he said.
"In (Southampton) I didn’t play and miss but then edged one, before chopping on in the second innings. Luck is involved and you have to make the most of your chances when they come around," Pope concluded.
(Inputs from CricketNext)
