Ollie Pope has insisted he is "ready to step up" and bat at number three for England, despite never having done so in his first-class career.
With Joe Root set to move back down to number four when England take on New Zealand next month, Pope has been backed to slot in at three by England's new management. Despite an excellent first-class record for Surrey, Pope has so far failed to find the same consistency at Test level, where he averages 28.66 and has scored just one hundred.
Since being recalled last year after recovering from a shoulder injury, Pope has averaged just 20.36 in 20 innings batting at five and six and was dropped during the Ashes having managed a total of 67 runs at 11.16 during the series. Reflecting on his struggles against Australia, Pope told the Evening Standard : "I tried to change too much, rather than stick with what I'm good at.
