Just a day after England all-rounder Liam Livingstone levied allegations on the Brendon McCullum regime for not getting a proper explanation for getting dropped, another England star Ollie Pope has now opened up on his exclusion.
Livingstone had criticised the lack of communication from coach Brendon McCullum, who shared the news over a call that barely lasted a minute, while skipper Harry Brook just sent a text and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) managing director Rob Key stalled conversing on grounds of being busy.
However, Ollie Pope, who was dropped for two out of the five Ashes Tests last Australian summer and whose Test future remains uncertain, backed his own snub. Pope played the first three matches but failed to cross even fifty in the six innings he batted, managing 125 runs at 20.83 average before Jacob Bethell was brought in.
In fact, Pope opined that the conversation with the management had been ‘good’ and that dropping him was justified.
Pope was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo, “I guess I knew where I stood. Getting dropped is tough. I didn’t want to get dropped of course, but it was the right decision at the time.”
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Liam Livingstone, who was in the white-ball fray, has been left on the sidelines after being denied a central contract last year. However, he still plies his trade in franchise cricket and is still in demand, which clearly highlights his utility as a player. Nevertheless, his chances of an international return looks bleak as it seems like he has fallen out of favour with the current management and they have moved on.
On the other hand, Ollie Pope has been England’s No.3 in Tests for some time before the emergence of Jacob Bethell. Bethell has emerged as an all-format player and made his mark replacing Pope during the Ashes 2025 in the position with a century in the fifth Test. However, as opposed to Livingstone, Pope still have a chance to make a comeback in the Three Lions side ahead of the upcoming Test summer.
In a bid to do so, the former vice captain will also play in County cricket for the first time since 2022 and earn his spot back.
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