'Play on, pontiff' - Pope repays England's faith

Saturday at Headingley. Fancy dress. A group of clergymen took their place on the Western Terrace.

Maybe there was a universe where Ollie Pope joined them in watching from the sidelines. Maybe his place was never under any serious threat from Jacob Bethell.

If it had taken a leap of faith from Ben Stokes to retain his vice-captain at number three for the first Test against India, then Pope picked the perfect time to play the grateful disciple.

A day after Stokes put England under the pump by giving away the chance to bat first, Pope's century offered the captain a way out of purgatory, the number three 100 not out in England's 209-3, 262 behind India's 471.

"It sums up and proves why he's England number three," said opener Ben Duckett, who made 62 in a stand of 122 with Pope.

There is an argument to suggest any debate between Pope and Bethell is ludicrous. On Saturday, Pope pushed his average as England's first-drop to 45.19, while Bethell has never made a century in professional cricket.

But numbers alone never tell the full story. Pope's stats mask a feast-or-famine career – before this game 34% of his Test runs had come in only six of his previous 98 knocks. Pope can be a nervous, skittish presence at the crease. The calm Bethell looks born to be an international batter.

Stokes put the conversation to bed on Thursday, pointing to the 171 Pope made against Zimbabwe in Nottingham in May. Stokes said it would have been "remarkable" to leave him out after such an innings, without ever elaborating on what might have happened had Pope failed at Trent Bridge.

"There's noise outside of a dressing room but there's no noise in it," said Duckett.

"We're not having discussions about who's going to play. It seemed pretty clear coming into this Test match that if a bloke scores 171 a few weeks ago he's going to play this one."

Still, Pope acknowledged the need to improve his record against India and Australia, the two sides England face across 10 defining Tests for the Stokes era.

The 196 he made against India in Hyderabad early last year is one of the all-time great innings by an Englishman overseas, but apart from that he has delivered slim returns against the two biggest teams in the world.

Before Headingley, Pope had an average of 22.05 in a combined 18 Tests against India and Australia.

The chief obstacle to improving that record was Jasprit Bumrah, the best bowler in the world. In Visakhapatnam 18 months ago, Bumrah's dismissal of Pope with a yorker that removed two stumps was so violent it should only be watched with a health warning.

On Saturday Bumrah had everything in his favour. Moody sky and floodlights, stalking down the slope with his stuttering approach. When Zak Crawley was turned inside out to edge to first slip, Pope arrived at the crease with the score 4-1.

What followed was a display of guts, grit and determination. Not quite yet the heights of Hyderabad, but certainly the best century Pope has ever made in a home Test – and this was his third in successive matches in this country.

He needed fortune, though what batter wouldn't when Bumrah is bowling with such potency? The paceman was truly magnificent, every delivery pregnant with danger.

Pope edged Bumrah between third slip and gully when he had 10 and could have been run out on 15 when he and Duckett were heading to the same end.

On 34 he survived an India lbw review when Mohammed Siraj's delivery was shown to be clipping the top of off stump, then on 60 he was put down by third-slip Yashasvi Jaiswal off that magician Bumrah.

In between, Pope exhibited a serenity that has so often eluded him. Yes, there were still some ugly jabs at the ball and high false-shot percentage of 27, yet those were mixed with good judgement.

Taking guard across his stumps, Pope was quick to pounce any time India were fractionally awry with their line. He scored the majority of his runs behind square on the off side, though also tucked in from his pads. The Surrey man scored nothing in the 'V' down the ground.

"The way he played Bumrah, he without doubt played with the most control," former England captain Alastair Cook told Test Match Special.

"Whether it is a conscious effort, he played the ball later. He looked way less frenetic."

As the sun returned and the close drew near, the longest day of the year pushed play past 7pm. Pope on 99, Bumrah summoned for one final effort.

An inside edge trickled to square leg, Pope leapt in celebration. He saluted the dressing room, then took the applause of the Western Terrace.

The clergymen had waited for the moment. They acknowledged their Pope then immediately moved towards the exit.

They would have barely been down the stairs when Joe Root edged Bumrah to first slip, probably not even out of the ground when Harry Brook was saved only by a Bumrah no-ball.

Pope remains, the chance of a Sunday service to continue England's fightback.

Play on, pontiff.