Ollie Pope has credited Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum for removing “a fear of getting out” as England ready themselves for one last push in Pakistan. Rewind 12 months and the mood could scarcely have been more different, England’s players finding themselves locked in the dressing room of the Adelaide Oval and forced to rewatch their dismissals after a 275-run defeat to Australia.
But with England 2-0 up in Pakistan and hoping to become the first visiting team to claim a 3-0 clean sweep in the third Test, which begins on Saturday, Pope has singled out the captain and head coach for the team’s switch in mentality – with his own career relaunched in the process.
