Ollie Pope says England’s batters will be “ruthless” with their run-scoring as they eye a Test series whitewash against West Indies – and reckons they could even score 600 in a day.
England are 2-0 up after they followed up victory by an innings at Lord’s with a comprehensive 241-run win at Trent Bridge last week.
The win in Nottingham was the first time England scored 400-plus in both innings of a Test match with totals of 416 and 425.
The third and final Test between England and West Indies starts on Friday at Edgbaston.
Vice-captain Pope promised their will be no let up with their approach even though England have already wrapped the series and won back the Botham-Richards Trophy.
“There’s a real hunger – there always is a hunger – but now there’s an extra bit in that batting line-up,” Pope said.
“We want to be as ruthless as we can as a batting unit, but still play the way we do because that’s our natural game. Obviously being ruthless is being part of Test cricket as well.”
Pope was one of three England centurions in the second Test alongside Joe Root and Harry Brook.
He acknowledged there are times England’s batters will have to “manage the game a little bit more” but that their attacking approach has now become second nature.
The 26-year-old also feels England could smash the record for the number of runs scored in a day of Test cricket with the buccaneering ‘Bazball’ style fostered by coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes
Sri Lanka’s total of 509-9 against Bangladesh in July 2002 is the highest total made by a team in a day of Test cricket.
England fell just three runs short of eclipsing that against Pakistan in Rawalpindi back in December 2022, but Pope reckons they could go much bigger.
“I got asked on day one ‘do you get told to play like that?’. No, we don’t. It’s just our natural games and the way we go about it,” Pope added.
“Sometimes we might score 280-300 in a day but that’s OK and probably because we’re reading situations.
“There might also be a day where we go and get 500 to 600 at some point in the future as well. And that’s a cool thing to have.”
