On Wednesday, as the eyes of the sporting world turn to Old Trafford for what promises to be another pulsating Ashes Test, England’s vice-captain Ollie Pope will be experiencing an altogether different glare: that of a surgical theatre.
For Pope, the third serious shoulder injury of his career – but first to his right shoulder – arrived with sickening timing. Not only did it come with the Ashes slipping away from England, but also just as he was finally establishing himself in Test cricket, having been made vice-captain and averaged 45 at No 3 over the last year.
On the first day at Lord’s, he fell awkwardly in the field, and “gut feeling” told him that he was in trouble. Nevertheless, an eventful match followed: he batted on day two, but was so dosed up that he was falling asleep as he waited to go in; on day three, he was forced to field against medical advice by the umpires, and exacerbated the injury; on day four, he batted again, with his movement limited.
“There’s nothing worse than being in a big series and then an injury comes along,” Pope tells Telegraph Sport in his first interview since being ruled out of the series. “I’m gutted. At Lord’s, I was fine. I went up to Headingley hoping for the best after having a scan and I was thinking about what the next steps were. Can I put surgery off to get through this series? It’s all logical thinking without emotion. Then the news is confirmed, and it all changes.
“Jonny [Bairstow] hosted his annual BBQ at his house, and I left having been ruled out of the series. Driving away was the first time it hit me. It’s been such a good year, and I’m leaving at the most exciting moment, when we are at our most together.
“Sitting down, watching the third Test at Headingley. That was hard, wanting to have an influence, but you can’t. The nerves were through the roof.
“It really hit me most after the game finished. I was so nervous watching it, the boys took it home and then all these emotions hit me. They’re in a great series, everything you’ve ever wanted to be a part of, and you are going through surgery and four months of rehab. That is pretty flattening, especially as you know the harder times are yet to come, during the rehab. I’ve learnt quickly again that I need to keep busy. I had a few days chilling on the sofa and I got so annoyed with everything so quickly.”
Pope’s surgery is serious, similar to the procedure he underwent in 2020, after dislocating his left shoulder attempting to save a boundary at the Ageas Bowl during the lockdown Tests: “They cut a bit of bone out to stabilise the whole joint, rather than just keyhole surgery which I’ve also had before”. Clearly, he will not be able to make it to Old Trafford, but hopes to join the squad for the last Test at the Oval alongside Jack Leach, another central figure who is out of the series.
Pope has hyper-mobile shoulders, which has left him prone to dislocations. But he has been told that his latest operation should mean “the end of all shoulder dislocations”. He has had no issues with his left shoulder since his last operation. He will be out until November at least, missing the remainder of the season with Surrey, then will look for any cricket he can find – whether that is T20 franchise or longer form – before England’s next Test in January. “I don’t want my next game of cricket to be against India,” he says.
Back to Lord’s. Pope has since watched the video of his day one fall and reflects that it is instantly obvious that he had dislocated his shoulder. He did not field again in Australia’s first innings, but was determined to bat in his usual spot at No 3. He made 42, and looked in fine form, before becoming the first of a string of England batsmen to fall hooking.
“It was sore,” he says. I was on heavy painkillers. I was falling asleep waiting to bat because the painkillers were so strong. That was kind of annoying. Once I got into the innings it was OK. There were shots which jarred it. I didn’t want to carry on on the pitch because you know what the Aussies are like, I didn’t want to have a target on my back. Wanted to get through the innings.
“To play the pull shot was painful and high risk. That [the dismissal] was definitely the shot that hurt it the most. I think the fact I got out made it worse. The pain got easier as I got into the innings. I should have hit it for six and I’m sure it wouldn’t have hurt as badly.”
Because Pope had batted, the officials decided that he had to field in Australia’s second innings. On the day, England assistant coach Jeetan Patel said they were “bewildered” by the decision, because it defied medical advice. But Pope is diplomatic.
“I don’t want to go too deep into it,” he says. “They said that if I can bat I can field, but that wasn’t the case. I couldn’t dive or throw. I could barely bat. The adrenaline got me through that first innings. And because I played quite nicely in that first dig they went against the medical staff’s recommendations and said I had to field, which was pretty frustrating.”
Pope was hidden in the field at mid-on, but could not help falling to save runs, and made the injury worse.
“I was pretty flat then,” he says. “The first time you fear the worst but hope it was just badly bruised. The second time I knew.”
When it came to batting in the second innings, he did not consider dropping down the order as England embarked on a big chase.
“I thought worst case scenario I bat for a few minutes and get a few, but at least that keeps Joe Root and Harry Brook in their usual positions,” he says. In the end, that is exactly what happened.
“I knew I couldn’t play a pull or cut shot. I got a good ball but would like to think I keep it out normally. The lack of movement I had in the second innings I was probably sweating on the short ball every ball, because I knew I would have to let it him me, or try to get out the way because I didn’t have any shots above my shoulder.”
That ended Pope’s second Ashes series early. The first, in 2021/22 was desperately difficult, as he was dropped after two Tests then recalled for the fifth. He has now played five Tests against Australia, lost them all, and has an average of just 15.7.
“I’m not going to be too hard on myself about this summer, it’s certainly different to last time in Australia,” he says. “That first Test at Edgbaston, there were a lot of nerves flying about. They were bowling at good pace, and I should have kicked on in that first dig [he made 29]. I got a pretty average dismissal to [Nathan] Lyon.
“That game was pretty annoying, but in that second one I do have to remember I was batting with one shoulder. I have felt in good rhythm, so it’s frustrating not to get a big score. I’ll have to wait a few more years to hopefully get another crack at Australia.”
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