Ollie Pope’s upper cut oozes youthful exuberance

Ollie Pope’s endeavour to bail England out of choppy waters after the loss of early wickets was frustrated by rain which brought about an early close to play on the opening day of the first test against South Africa at Lord’s.

The 24-year-old raised his half-century just before Lunch and he was unbeaten on 61, with England in a sorry state at 116-6, when the rain came and the players were forced off the field. Pope was called on to allievate a grim situation in the morning session after England crashed to 55-4, losing Jonny Bairstow for a duck, with Ben Stokes caught moments before the interval.

Broadcast Schedule

New Zealand v England 2024 Test Series
NZ v ENG 3rd Test, Hamilton
13th December to 17th December
Start time: 10:00 pm GMT