Ollie Pope
Ollie Pope

England batsman Ollie Pope 'ready to go' if called up for second Test


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.

"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.

Like what you've read?

MOST READ

Sporting Life
Join for free!
Access to exclusive features all for FREE - No monthly subscription fee
Race Replays
My stable horse tracker
giftOffers and prize draws
newsExclusive content

Next Off

Fixtures & Results

Fetching latest games....
We are committed to Safer Gambling and have a number of self-help tools to help you manage your gambling. We also work with a number of independent charitable organisations who can offer help and answers any questions you may have.
Gamble Aware LogoGamble Helpline LogoGamstop LogoGordon Moody LogoSafer Gambling Standard LogoGamban Logo18+ LogoTake Time To Think Logo