Victory over West Indies in the second Test at Trent Bridge secured England their first multi-match series win since the end of 2022. Something which vice-captain Ollie Pope hopes can become a habit.
It is a slightly misleading statistic. England have only lost one series under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum – the recent 4-1 defeat to India – and Sunday’s result, which gives them a 2-0 lead heading into the final Test beginning on Friday at Edgbaston, means they have now won four out of seven completed series.
There was also victory over Ireland in a one-off Test last summer, and India in a Test rescheduled from their 2021 home series. With 16 wins from 26 matches, Stokes’ win percentage of 61.53% currently ranks third behind legendary Australians Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting as far as those who have captained at least 25 Tests.
And yet, after drawn series against New Zealand and Australia – both missed opportunities – followed by the loss in India, the onus was on England to get back to winning ways as soon as possible. Particularly with the shift in personnel brought about, primarily, to build towards the 2025-26 Ashes.
“There was obviously a lot said after the India series about those kind of things,” Pope said when asked about the importance of notching this series win after the last 18 months. “Although it [talk of a lack of series win] fell in an Ashes series, and India is always a tough place to go.
“I think winning can become a habit and the way we’ve gone about these two games is high class and that’s shown in the results so far.”
That the series has been secured with the help of new faces speaks to Pope’s optimism about the future. James Anderson’s enforced retirement after Lord’s came alongside a stellar debut performance from Gus Atkinson, who emerged with 12 for 106 from the match courtesy of five-wicket hauls in both innings.
With Ben Foakes and Jonny Bairstow discarded, Jamie Smith‘s 70 in his maiden innings along with seven catches so far has ensured a seamless transition with the wicketkeeper position. Shoaib Bashir‘s match-winning 5 for 41 on the final day of the second Test – his third five-wicket haul in just his fifth appearance – vindicated the gamble to select the offspinner instead of Jack Leach, who is above the 20-year-old in the pecking order at their county, Somerset.
New blood settling quickly is a familiar quirk to this team; Atkinson, for instance, was the fifth player on debut under Stokes to claim a five-for. But the manner in which selectors moved away from others – notably Anderson, England’s greatest Test cricketer – suggests cultivating a comfortable environment and making uncomfortable decisions are not mutually exclusive.
“I think [there were] some big calls and some tough calls on guys to make. But it feels at the minute that we’ve got a really nice balanced attack and batting line-up as well.
“Obviously we want to give guys confidence and that we’re building the team around them. But at the same time in international cricket there’s always going to be pressure for spots. And that’s shown in the last few weeks that the guys that have come in have done beautifully and we can keep building from here.
“The way Bash bowled was amazing. Stokesy coming in as well [as an allrounder]. And then we’ve got the two quick guys this game as well, which was a really nice varied attack. And the batting is looking to take shape and hopefully it will be that way for a couple of years as well.”
Pope’s part in that batting line-up came to the fore at Trent Bridge, scoring 121 in England’s first innings, then 51 in the second. It was a far-from-flawless sixth Test century as he was dropped on 46 and 54. But after 57 in his only innings at Lord’s, it seems Pope has emerged from a slump that saw him average just 19.05 in 18 red-ball knocks for England and Surrey – a run which began after a match-winning 196 in the first Test of the India series. He is averaging 44.64 as a Test No. 3 since his promotion to the role under Stokes.
“I actually felt I played better in the second innings,” Pope said. “I got dropped twice in the first innings, one I actually creamed anyway. I didn’t feel quite at my best but I felt pretty good. And I felt pretty good at Lord’s last week as well so I’m happy to make it count this game, got that bit of luck and was able to cash in.”
As well as an unassailable 2-0 lead, England left Nottingham with a bit of history, scoring 400 for both innings for the first time. The strike rates of 4.60 and 4.70, respectively, were brisk but no real risks were taken. A change of tack, perhaps?
Pope does not think so – “it’s just out natural games” – but does acknowledge the batters are looking to adopt a more “ruthless” approach in this next stage of their evolution as a collective. All while retaining their capacity to go after opposition attacks.
“There might be a day where we go and get five- or six hundred at some point in the future as well. And that’s a cool thing to have.
“I feel that everyone has kind of grown into their roles and now there’s a real hunger. There always is a hunger, but now there’s an extra bit in that batting line-up and now we feel like we can go on to do even better things. At the time it was about building confidence now it’s about hopefully we can keep becoming more and more ruthless.
“We put on just over 400 in the third innings of the game and had we not done that it might’ve been a closer affair in the end. We want to be as ruthless as we can as a batting unit, but still play the way we do because that’s our natural game. But being ruthless is being part of Test cricket as well.”