England can get 600 runs in a day with Bazball approach, feels vice-captain Ollie Pope | Cricket News
England Test vice-captain Ollie Pope has claimed that the day is not far away when his team will go on to smack 600 runs in a day’s play.
Boosting the emphasis on their aggressive ‘Bazball’ batting philosophy, Pope believes the team led by Ben Stokes can set a new benchmark in Test cricket.
“Sometimes we might score 280 to 300 in a day but that’s OK and probably because we’re reading situations. There might also be a day where we go and get 500 to 600 at some point in the future as well. And that’s a cool thing to have,” Pope said ahead of England’s third Test against West Indies at Birmingham.
England annihilated West Indies by 234 runs at Trent Bridge with Pope leading the first-innings charge with a century as the hosts totalled 416 on the first day.
“There’s a real hunger – there always is a hunger – but now there’s an extra bit in that batting line-up,” Pope said. We want to be as ruthless as we can as a batting unit, but still play the way we do because that’s our natural game. Being ruthless is being part of Test cricket as well.”
Sailing into the stands ⛵️
🙌 @OPope32 pic.twitter.com/efjl1ZluXQ
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 18, 2024
England, who were at the bottom of the World Test Championship points table, find themselves on the verge of delivering a 3-0 series whitewash at home. Under Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, England have served up quick-fire team innings on numerous occasions.
England are the only team to have eight completed Test innings with a run-rate over 5. In December 2022, England smashed 506 runs on Day 1 of the Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan while making a total of 657 runs in 101 overs at a 6.50 run-rate – the highest-ever for any Test innings.
While Sri Lanka hold the record for most runs in a day in Tests (509/9 v Bangladesh, 2002), England are the only team to cross the 500-run mark twice, having preceded the instance in Rawalpindi 100 years ago against South Africa at Lord’s in 1924.
On the opening day of the second Test, England also recorded the fastest team Test fifty, overhauling their own record from 1994 as Ben Duckett and Pope powered the milestone in 26 balls.
“I got asked on day one ‘do you get told to play like that?’. No, we don’t. It’s just our natural games and the way we go about it,” Pope said.
Most Test runs in a day by a team
Sri Lanka (509-9) v Bangladesh, 2002 – Colombo
England (506-4) v Pakistan, 2022 – Rawalpindi
England (503-2) v South Africa, 1924 – Lord’s
Australia (494-6) v South Africa, 1910/11 – Sydney
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