Pope in the firing line after ‘gruesome’ Ashes day for England

You can come out from behind the sofa now, England fans.

A “gruesome” third day – to use Sky Sports‘ Michael Atherton’s word – for Ben Stokes’ tourists at The Gabba ended with them six wickets down in their second innings, trailing by 43.

There was another loose drive-induced batting collapse following the meltdown in Perth that cost England the first Test, with Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley the guilty parties in Brisbane.

After a number of close shaves driving on the up, Pope refused to put that shot away and eventually his luck ran out – chipping back to seamer Michael Neser on 26 for a routine caught and bowled.

To make matters worse for England, Crawley then did the exact same thing while facing Neser, falling for 44 as a position of 90-1 became 97-3 and ultimately 134-6 by stumps.

Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland bagged two wickets apiece, after they had showed England’s oft-giddy top order how to bat time earlier in the day by sharing a sedate ninth-wicket stand of 75 from 165 balls as the hosts earned a first-innings lead of 177.

Starc and Boland realised it would be better to be bowling with the new ball at 6pm under lights rather than 3.30pm so they batted time. If England’s lower order had been batting earlier today, would they have had the thought process to play differently from normal and bat time? No, they would have carried on the same way, smashed it and been bowling by 3.30pm.

Pope could not play with the same discipline, leaving Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain bemused.

Why could Pope not see what was coming?

“Pope’s dismissal was utterly bizarre,” said Hussain.

“There is something in your brain that, however positive you want to be, driving on the up on this surface is not easy. We have seen that.

“Pope spoke to me about it on interview the other day – about learning from the first Test that there are certain shots you have to put away.

“On this Brisbane pitch, the drive on the up is not the shot to be playing.

“Pope nearly got caught and bowled early on, he then hit over the fielder Josh Inglis at cover and then he nicked one over slip off the outside edge.

“I sat in the press box thinking to myself, ‘what is going through Pope’s head now?’ I would have been thinking ‘that shot started a collapse in Perth so put it away’.

“But what does Pope do? He goes down the other end, drives on the up with a closed bat face and is caught and bowled as 90-1 becomes 90-2 and the collapse comes.

“That’s where I question him. If I, sat up in the press room, can see a wicket coming, how can Pope himself not say, ‘if I carry on batting like this I am going to get out’.

“Put that shot away for a while like the greats do. Steve Smith does it. Joe Root does it. Pope doesn’t do it. He believes if he keeps doing it, he will get away with it.”

How regular mistakes have cost England dear

Hussain feels the only way England can avoid slipping 2-0 down in the five-Test series is for captain Stokes – who reached the close four not out from 24 balls – to produce some “genius”.

The former England skipper says the tourists’ raft of errors across the game at The Gabba are now taking their toll.

He added: “England were out-bowled, out-batted, out-caught, out-thought – completely and utterly outplayed from start to finish.

“But what has happened today is a consequence of what has happened from the first day, when Brook’s dismissal opened the door for wickets to fall, wafting at wide delivery outside off stump.

“On the same day, Pope dragged Starc on with an angled bat.

“England then ended up slightly below par on first innings – they should have maybe got 400 and then they are way behind when you add in bowling badly and the dopped catches. Then they are the ones batting under lights.

“Each mistake you make is a small one but as the Test progresses it catches up with you.

“I don’t think you can fault England’s effort and I have heard some things today that I disagree with about ‘giving up’ and ‘their heads have dropped’.

“I didn’t see a side that gave up, which you can sometimes get in Australia. Brydon Carse, for example, ran in every ball and gave it everything. Stokes in searing heat.

“So while I will criticise England for their skills and tactics – they could perhaps have used the off-spinner Will Jacks against Starc, the left-hander, and maybe not spread the field so much – I can’t criticise them for their heart and effort.”

England need one almighty effort now if they are to pull off a heist at The Gabba. Away fans are already spewing and the knives will be out if this game ends the way we expect.

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