"He's our number three here in Australia": Brendon McCullum backs Ollie Pope after back-to-back defeats in Ashes

New Delhi [India], December 8 (ANI): Following back-to-back defeats against Australia in the first two Ashes, England head coach Brendon McCullum subsequently backed Ollie Pope as England's No. 3, stating he's done well.

Pope has had a decent first two games, making 105 runs in four innings at an average of 26.25 and a strike rate of 70.00.

"I think most people were frenetic outside off stump on this pitch tonight. Popey [Ollie Pope] has been number three. He's done well. He's averaged 40 odd [40.58] for us. He's our number three here in Australia," Brendon McCullum said as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

From McCullum, there was greater support for another England batter, Jamie Smith, who he said works very hard on his game. The wicketkeeper/batter joined the team at the start of 2024.

"He's a flair player, and he likes to approach the game in a simple way. He works very hard on his game, but he also has the courage and conviction when he feels he's given himself the best chance. It doesn't guarantee everything, but I'm sure he'll appreciate the conditions in Adelaide with the boundary sizes and the pitch," McCullum added.

However, Smith has been struggling to get some runs under his belt in the ongoing Ashes, with only 52 runs in four innings at an average of 13.0, with his best score of 33.

Australia has so far dominated England in the first two fixtures. With an eight-wicket victory in both matches, Australia leads the series 2-0 with the third match scheduled on December 17 at the Adelaide Oval.

England Squad: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith(w), Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Matthew Potts, Josh Tongue, Will Jacks. (ANI)

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