Last Updated on 5 months ago by Charbel Coorey

Mark Waugh believes Ollie Pope will struggle in the Ashes. According to a report in The Guardian, Pope is poised to retain the number three spot ahead of Jacob Bethell. The former was selected as England’s number three in their tour match against England Lions at Perth.

Mark Waugh predicts Ollie Pope will struggle in the Ashes down under

Speaking on The Grade Cricketer Podcast, Waugh said England’s batting lineup has the potential to perform in Australian conditions, but the number three position is an issue.

“England, you look at their batting lineup, their top three… I think [Ben] Duckett’s a good player, Zak Crawley is a good player on his day but he’s inconsistent. Ollie Pope, he won’t make a run out here, he will not make a run. I’d be surprised if they play him at three.

“He sort of pushes the ball outside offstump,” Waugh said a little earlier in the podcast. “You can get away with it in England, out here he’ll nick those sort of deliveries on these pitches.

“But then you’ve got [Joe] Root who is an elite player. Harry Brook’s so dangerous, bit like Kevin Pietersen. Ben Stokes at six, he can change the game, and then the keeper [Jamie Smith] at seven.

“So it’s a powerful batting lineup with probably their number three their weakness. With Zak Crawley, I don’t mind Zak Crawley, I think he’s a bit dangerous against Australia on these pitches where he just stands and hits on the up.

“So I don’t if they’re a great batting side, but they’ve got some dangerous players.”

Can Ollie Pope produce consistent performances in Australia?

Ollie Pope’s career has been an interesting one. There have been some memorable knocks throughout his 61 Tests – perhaps none more so than the 196 in Hyderabad in 2024. However, the feast or famine nature of his returns has cast doubts as to whether he can influence matches across a whole series.

In that India series, Pope’s 196 made up 62% of his runs as he finished with an average of 31.50. Other examples include his 154 against Sri Lanka last year that made up 78.57% of his runs in three three-match series. Against India earlier this year, Pope’s 106 in the first Test made up 34.64% of his runs in the five-match series played largely on excellent batting pitches.

England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick said he’s “presuming the same No 3 we’ve had for a period of time” will be picked for the Perth Test. “We’ve not really chopped and changed a great deal. It’s definitely not going to change dramatically before the start of an Ashes series,” he said as quoted by The Guardian.

Pope will get the chance to bat on day two of England’s tour match against England Lions at Perth. The Lions hit 382 in 79.3 overs on an action-packed day at Lilac Hill with Ben Stokes taking 6/52.