If you can’t resist comparisons across different eras of English batters, you may have already put Ollie Pope in Ian Bell’s mould, and not merely for his short and stocky frame. After all, Pope resembles Bell’s compact presence at the crease, technical poise in building an innings, and an often assured elegance in stroke production.
But last week, Pope’s counterattacking big hundred, on a turning track against India in the first test of the current series, reminded one of a great knock by none other than one of Bell’s illustrious teammates – Kevin Pietersen.
