Pope Leads England To 416 Against West Indies In Second Test
Ollie Pope rode his luck to a hundred as England ended the first day of the second Test against the West Indies at Trent Bridge on Thursday in a commanding position at 416 all out. Scorecard England v
Trending
England vs West Indies Second test Day 1 Report
Both sides had reason to feel frustrated, with the West Indies dropping four catches -- Pope was reprieved twice -- and wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva missing a stumping, while several England batsmen gave their wickets away.
Ben Duckett launched the innings with a rapid 71, after fellow opener Zak Crawley fell for a duck, with England racing to 50 in a mere 4.2 overs -- the quickest a side have reached that total in a Test match.
"Unfortunately we lost a wicket in the first over but the pressure Ben Duckett put back on the West Indies bowlers was class," Pope told Sky Sports after stumps. "It took the pressure off me.
"It's such a quick scoring ground. The outfield is lightning. It's a lovely place to bat," he added.
Duckett's innings was very much in the spirit of 'Bazball', the nickname for England's aggressive style of Test cricket under captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.
Yet for all his belief in such a bold approach, few England cricketers are better at playing a match situation than Stokes, who on Thursday made a measured 69 off 108 balls.
