Ramsdale is my lucky charm, says England's Pope

Ollie Pope says Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale is his “lucky charm” after he watched the England batter make 121 on the first day of the second Test against West Indies.

Ramsdale, part of the England squad that reached the final of Euro 2024, was a guest of Gunners fan Pope at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

He also saw Pope score a double century against Ireland at Lord’s last year.

“He messaged me last night and I managed to sort him a couple of tickets,” said Pope. “He can come more often.”

Pope’s sixth Test century, all compiled against different teams, helped England to 416 all out on an action-packed opening day in Nottingham.

Ramsdale, 26, played junior club cricket in Staffordshire before concentrating on football.

"I'm obviously a big Arsenal fan so I go to support him a fair bit,” added 26-year-old Pope. “He seems to be my lucky charm on the cricket pitch as well.”

Pope played one of the all-time great innings by an England batter in scoring 196 to help them defeat India in Hyderabad in January, then passed 30 only once in the remaining four Tests of the tour.

His highest score for Surrey in the County Championship this season is 63, but he opened his England summer with 57 in the huge win over the Windies in the first Test at Lord’s last week.

And after following up with his century in the second Test, he credited training done with England batting coach Marcus Trescothick when Pope sat out Surrey’s Championship match against Essex at the beginning of July.

Pope added: “I wouldn’t say I had doubts, but I was thinking ‘why is everyone else in the country scoring runs in county cricket, but England’s number three isn’t going out and averaging 50?’

“Tres came to London and we did some really good work, which has put me in really good stead for the Test summer.”

Pope was aged 20 when he made his Test debut against India in 2018. Six years on he is the England vice-captain and, with 45 caps, one of the most senior players in the team after James Anderson and Stuart Broad retired and Jonny Bairstow was dropped.

Since being promoted to number three in 2022 he has made five centuries, more than any other England batter in that position since Jonathan Trott. However, across his career, his Test batting average is 35.52.

“His big goal in his Test career is to go on and play really well against the high-quality teams, such as India and Australia,” former England captain Michael Vaughan told the Test Match Special podcast.

“Against sides like West Indies he will just climb into the runs. His real big mental challenge is whether or not he can go and do it against India next summer and in Australia in a year-and-a-half.

“That will take him to that next level, the level where we all start to go: 'What a world-class performer’. He will only become that once he has done it against the really quality teams.”