Ollie Pope, the England wicketkeeper-batter, believes that the current England Test team has the potential to break the record for the most runs scored in a day in Test cricket. The current record stands at 588 for 6, set by England against India in 1936.
Pope’s comments come after England’s impressive performance in the second Test against the West Indies at Trent Bridge, where they scored 416 and 425 in their two innings. It was the first time England had scored 400-plus in both innings of a Test match.
“Sometimes we might score 280 to 300 in a day, but that’s OK and probably because we’re reading situations,” Pope said. “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.”
England’s aggressive approach with the bat, known as “Bazball” after coach Brendon McCullum, has been a key factor in their recent success. They smashed 506 runs on the opening day of the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in December 2022.
Pope said that while there may be times when England batters need to “manage the game a little bit more,” their attacking style has become second nature.
“I got asked on day one at Trent Bridge ‘do you get told to play like that?’ No, we don’t,” Pope said. “It’s just our natural games and the way we go about it.”
England are currently 2-0 up in the three-match Test series against the West Indies. The third and final Test starts on Friday at Edgbaston.
