For any international athlete, taking time away from the sport is important but for cricketers like Ollie Pope, who routinely spend months on the road, it takes on a new significance.
Cricket is a rare sport in terms of how much time is spent on the field itself but also away from home. England’s recent tour of India lasted from January until March, and while there were obviously some days off, the touring nature of the sport makes a unique set of challenges.
While some teams might favour cards, darts or pool, the current England men’s team have one particular interest to take their minds off their own sport, golf. Only a couple of the Test squad have not yet joined the large group who regularly pick up the clubs, and have even recently had a golf simulator to set up in team rooms when an actual course is not available.
“It’s funny (why so many cricketers love golf),” Pope told The Independent. “Firstly everyone loves it, it’s nice being out in the fresh air and not sat on the sofa on your day off.
“So there’s a lot of aspects about it that I like, but part of it is just getting out in the fresh air and getting some miles in the legs because I never feel like it tires me out too much.
“Golf is probably the one thing that helps me switch off from cricket for four hours. So I guess that’s one reason why golf is so popular within the cricketing environment.
“It’s encouraged that we play, obviously more than just going out and having fun with your mates, but actually I think it can help your game as well.”
Pope also bought himself a dog while in recovery from a dislocated shoulder that ruled him out of the final three Ashes Test matches last summer and saw him sidelined from the sport for months.
Speaking with his dog nestled on the floor behind him, Pope explained he is a big believer in wellness beyond the field and looking after all aspects of health. However, all sports people are naturally competitive, even when playing casual table tennis, and that can also seep onto the golf course.
“The standard is pretty good, but at the same time you do learn about people’s personalities,” Pope added.
“Jimmy (James Anderson) is probably the most competitive but at the same time if he’s having a bad game – you’ll know about it when you’re playing with him.
“But then as soon as we get off the course and say we stop and have a quick bite to eat after or something, he’s as good as gold, it’s just quite funny because it shows exactly how people’s personalities are. It shows how competitive Jimmy is. Everyone is competitive but you never see it drag over into the evening or over dinner.”
English Test cricket, at least in the public’s eye is often focused on the next Ashes series, whether it’s two years or two months away. Even those in charge of the Test team, who have typically been focused on the next match and the next series, have made key decisions, such as the retirement of Anderson, with the tour of Australia in 18 months in mind.
Ashes series live long in the memory even for casual cricket fans, and a heroic feat, such as Andrew Flintoff performed in 2005 or Ben Stokes at Headingley in 2019, can catapult a player firmly into the national consciousness.
For the players who always try to focus on the nearest goal, the Ashes is never too far away from the thought process.
“I think you can build towards an Ashes however long it is away,” added Pope, who has partnered with Bioglan Supplements for their ‘In Bioglan Balance’ series showing how he finds balance in his busy life. “I’m not sure how many Test matches there are until the next one. But us players realise that’s a long way and you need to keep performing to keep your spot.
“The end goal is always going to be the Ashes series, but I guess when we went out to India, the idea of winning out there will have been just as big.
“I think for us we realise there’s an end goal of the Ashes but Baz (Brendon McCullum) is always saying ‘be where your feet are’ and immerse yourself in what you’re doing at that moment in time and I think that’s important as well.
“Because an Ashes is great and it’s everything that you dream of, especially winning an Ashes away from home, but at the same time, firstly you want to make it there and keep performing, but you can enjoy so many special moments – some of my best moments have come against teams like New Zealand, South Africa and in England, and special series, and special performances from different guys.
“So it (the Ashes) is not the be-all and end-all, but at the same time it feels like there is the end goal of that as well.”
:: Ollie Pope has partnered with supplement brand Bioglan for their third series of ‘In Bioglan Balance’ to show how he finds balance in his busy life. To watch the series, visit @bioglansupplements on Instagram.
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