Ollie Pope on his ‘whirlwind’ rise to stardom – and what comes next

‘It has been a bit of a roller-coaster, if I’m honest. A lot has changed in my career pretty quickly’

Ollie Pope in action during England's tour of Sri Lanka (Getty)

This time last year Ollie Pope was a little known aspiring cricketer looking to make a name for himself in Australian Grade Cricket.

Now, as 2018 draws to a close, he can look back on a Test debut at Lords and a County Championship-winning season with Surrey and look forward to a potential Ashes series against Australia next summer.

All before celebrating his 21st birthday.

Pope averaged over 70 for Surrey as they romped to the Division One title, their first in 16 years, back in September.

That they did was largely down to the runs of Pope and Rory Burns – two players who flourished during an otherwise barren year for domestic batsmen.

So dramatic was Pope’s form that after acquiring just 13 County Championship matches on his CV he was whisked from the Oval to Lords to take on the number one side in world cricket.

His call-up made him the fourth player under the age of 21 whistled up by England in the past 12 months and his unflustered manner at the crease suggested that he was more than capable of dealing with the weight of expectation that comes with that call.

He would only make one further appearance against Virat Kohli’s side – scoring 54 at an average of 18 in his two Tests – but, speaking to The Independent from the England Lions tour of the UAE, the experience left him wanting a whole lot more.

“It has been a bit of a roller-coaster, if I’m honest,” he says. “A lot has changed in my career pretty quickly.

“It has been a whirlwind really. It was pretty surreal at first – and obviously getting a Lords debut is what you dream of as a kid, especially against the number one side in the world.


 Pope's call-up made him the fourth player under the age of 21 whistled up by England in the past 12 months 
 (PA)

“How smoothly that first Test went (England beat India by an innings and 159 runs) was incredible. I didn’t get a big score, only 28, but to spend time out in the middle and then beating that Indian side so convincingly was something I’ll never forget.

“Just looking around the dressing room and I was hit by the realisation that I was now playing with guys I had spent my childhood looking up to – people like Jimmy (Anderson), (Alastair) Cook and (Joe) Root.

“Just having a beer with them and enjoying a win with them was an unbelievable experience. As a unit and as a team, they were all so welcoming.

“They realised they had been that young lad before, making their debut. They know the challenges that come with that and they were all very easy to approach and pick their brains before.”

In many ways, 2018 has witnessed the passing of the torch from experience to youth in this England side.

In Sri Lanka, for example, Anderson and Broad took just one wicket between them but Root’s side still managed to win the series 3-0. Cook, meanwhile, could focus on his sheep farming rather than the viciously turning ball, having retired at the end of the summer to tearful acclaim.

Ollie Pope celebrates scoring a century for Surrey (Getty)

None of those players had been handed their Test chance as early as Pope, who had become the tenth youngest England player in history in that August Lords Test.

He had hoped to have scored more heavily but the fact that he then earned selection for the Sri Lanka tour – he would later be sent out to join the Lions – suggests that his name is still very much in the frame, firstly for the tour to the West Indies in the New Year and then, of course, next summer’s Ashes.

As is his fellow tyro, Sam Curran, another precocious 20-year-old who has exhibited the kind of fire and joie de vivre that typifies this side at the current time.

“I spent pretty much the whole of my time towards the end of Surrey’s youth set-up playing with Sam, which was pretty cool,” Pope says.

“We didn’t lose too many games. We won a few national trophies and there’s a lot of those guys now playing in the Surrey first team too, guys like Amar Virdi, Ryan Patel and Will Jacks in the year below.

“You know you’re going to get a chance at Surrey. They got me in pretty quick without seeing a massive amount of me.

“It’s nice to be backed and be trusted to and perform and it’s the same with England. Hopefully I’ll get another go soon.”

It’s odds-on he will. Sooner rather than later.