Ollie Pope reveals his preferred position in England’s batting order after returning to form in first Test against New Zealand

Ollie Pope insisted he wants to return to No 3 after his restorative 77 and a century from Harry Brook helped England fight back on the second day of the first Test against New Zealand.

Having averaged just 11 during the series in Pakistan, Pope spent time back home chatting to Alec Stewart, his former director of cricket at Surrey, ‘to get in the right headspace’.

Batting at No 6 because Jordan Cox’s broken thumb had turned him into the emergency wicketkeeper, Pope made runs at the first opportunity at Hagley Oval, adding 151 in just 31 overs with Brook – who was dropped four times – as England recovered from 71 for four to reach 319 for five in reply to New Zealand’s 348.

Had it not been for a sensational diving catch in the gully by Glenn Phillips, Pope might even have joined his partner in three figures. But his innings still felt cathartic after his recent struggles.

‘Pakistan wasn’t an easy tour,’ he said. ‘Missing out on that road in the first Test didn’t set a good tone, and I wasn’t good enough to find a way after that. It was really important to draw a line under it.’

Stewart helped remind him how he bats when he’s at his best, including ‘not trying to rush my way to 20 or 30. It was healthy having an open discussion with someone on the outside. It felt like I gained a lot from going back and talking to him.’

He scored 77 on day two of the first Test, but has set his sights on returning to No 3 in the order

Pope combined with Harry Brook (right) to put England into a healthy position in the Test

And while Pope said he would be happy to keep wicket for the rest of the three-match series – despite the scheduled arrival of Durham’s Ollie Robinson – he has his sights on a return to the position he has filled since the start of the Bazball era more than two years ago.

‘I want to be a No 3,’ he said. ‘I want to keep trying to make that position mine. In my own self-analysis, I’ve had too many low scores there, but I’ve also managed to put together some good knocks this year.

‘It’s a job I want to do going forward, and I feel like my skillset is still developing and I’m becoming a better player as I go along.’

Pope had to help dig England out of a hole after Nathan Smith had removed fellow debutant – and new No 3 – Jacob Bethell for 10 and Joe Root for a duck in his 150th Test in the last over before lunch to leave the tourists 45 for three. And when Ben Duckett top-edged a pull off Will O’Rourke for 46, it was a perilous 71 for four.

But Brook – dropped on 18, 41, 70 and 106 on a day when New Zealand put down six chances, including three by Tom Latham – rode his luck to complete his seventh Test century. And he ticked off 2,000 runs in just his 36th innings, making him the second-fastest Englishman to the landmark after Herbert Sutcliffe, who got there in 33.

Of Brook’s seven Test hundreds, six have now come abroad – four in Pakistan, two in New Zealand – and he celebrated reaching three figures with a look to the heavens. His grandmother Pauline, one of the most supportive figures in his life, died earlier this year.

For all his good fortune, this was a crucial and often classy innings, carved from adversity and as important in its own way as his triple-hundred on a rather friendlier surface against Pakistan in Multan last month.

He now has the fourth-best innings-per-hundred ratio (5.1) in Test history – behind Clyde Walcott, George Headley and Don Bradman.

‘Harry Brook and Ollie Pope batted really well,’ said Smith, who had three chances missed off his bowling, including Ben Stokes late on the second evening. ‘The ball got softer, and it became easier to bat. We gave them a few chances and they capitalised.’

Earlier, Brydon Carse finished took New Zealand’s last two wickets to finish with four for 64, before Zak Crawley fell lbw to Matt Henry for a duck, taking his record against New Zealand to 167 runs at an average of 10.