Amid the numerous congregations of England’s brains trust in the dying overs of last week’s Edgbaston thriller, Ollie Pope’s boyish presence stood out against those of his more seasoned associates, two wizened seamers with 340-odd Tests between them and the team’s captains past and present.
Pope, naturally inquisitive when it comes to tactics, has been milling around these meetings for a while, until recently under the guise of convenience as the man usually tasked with fielding closest to the bat. These days, though, no excuse is needed. With his closest age peers, the likes of Harry Brook and Zak Crawley, posted to the fence, here was the reminder Abduwali Muse might have more diplomatically offered Tom Hanks across the wheelhouse of the Maersk Alabama: look at me, I am the vice-captain now.
