Pope Could Keep Wicket Again In Second Test


England are considering sticking with Ollie Pope behind the stumps for the second Test against Pakistan in Multan starting on Friday.

If Pope keeps the gloves, it will make room for fit-again paceman Mark Wood.

Pope stood in for the ill Ben Foakes for the thrilling first Test, which England won by 74 runs.

“We found ourselves in that situation and still picked a team that was strong enough to win. We’ll consider all our options,” captain Ben Stokes said.

Pope, 24, kept wicket for only the second time in Test cricket after Surrey team-mate Foakes was ruled out on the morning of the first Test in Rawalpindi.

He scored a century batting at number three in England’s first innings.

He had a mixed game with the gloves, dropping a catch in Pakistan’s first innings and failing to move for an edge when England only needed one wicket to win.

However, he also took a smart stumping on the fourth morning and a spectacular acrobatic catch when England were pushing for victory on the final afternoon.

England, who can seal their first series win against Pakistan outside of the UK for 22 years in the second Test, will definitely make one change after all-rounder Liam Livingstone was ruled out of the tour with a knee injury.

Wood, 32, has not played a Test since March because of an elbow injury that kept him out of the home summer. BBC

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