Ollie Pope doubts Harry Brook will have any regrets about his dismissal after the Yorkshireman fell one run short of a hometown hundred in the first Rothesay Test against India.
With Pope at the other end, Brook dispatched Prasidh Krishna into the stands from the first over of day three, while he then stepped out of his crease and thumped top-ranked Test bowler Jasprit Bumrah through the covers for four.
Dropped on 46 and 82, he was on the cusp of a ninth century in just his 26th Test but with the Headingley crowd on red-alert, Brook pulled Krishna to Shardul Thakur in the deep, unable to follow Pope to three figures.
But Pope suspects Brook will focus more on helping to lift the hosts to 465 and within six of India, who closed 96 ahead on 90 for two, rather than his downfall, the 16th time an Englishman has been out for 99 in a Test.
“He was pretty gutted to get out,” said Pope. “I think he’d either like to keep it down or hit it for six next time; he was as frustrated as anyone to get out but he plays that shot pretty well.
“It was an unbelievable knock. Even the pull shot he hit in the first over of the day, I was like ‘where did that come from?’.
“Everyone knows what a fantastic player Harry is and to be able to put a guy like Jasprit Bumrah off his pace a little bit with a shot like that early on shows the confidence he has in his game.
“His ability to flip a game – if he batted for another hour, we could have been in an amazing position, it shows the skill and power he has.”
Brook might have been dismissed the previous evening for a duck after being caught off Bumrah, who also drew the edge of the England batter when he was on 82 only for Yashasvi Jaiswal to spill in the cordon.
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“I think fate had decided on 99 for him, because he got dropped a few times after (the no-ball) as well,” said Bumrah, by far the best bowler on show as he collected five for 83.
“But that is not to take away from him. He assessed the conditions well, he fancies his game and plays an aggressive style of cricket.
“He makes you think he can play an aggressive shot but he can shut up shop as well. Full credit, he played really well and we’ll try to have better plans in the next innings.”
Pope was dismissed in the third over of the day for 106, adding just six to his overnight total, having shut down speculation about his position in the side with a majestic century on Saturday.
England’s vice-captain has appeared much calmer at the crease in recent months, with a frequent criticism the skittishness he displayed early on in his innings that brought about his downfall.
“Something I got better at even in the New Zealand series (before Christmas) is just trusting my game a little bit more, not feeling like I’ve got to rush to 30 to really feel in,” said Pope.
“It’s trying to enjoy the process of building an innings rather than getting to 30 then make a big one.”
