Ollie Pope released from England squad, to play for Surrey in the One Day Cup

England batsman Ollie Pope has returned to Surrey to take part in the One Day Cup clash with Derbyshire. Pope was released from the England squad after the hosts went in with Haseeb Hameed in the playing XI for the second Test. The 23-year-old was not picked in the first Test at Trent Bridge as well owing to a thigh injury.

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Apart from being a good timer of the ball, Pope is also good a player against spin and hence it was widely speculated that the 23-year-old would play at number six at the Mecca of Cricket Lords. However, the Three Lions instead went in with Haseeb Hameed and Moeen Ali as the two changes in the batting lineup.

Pope has represented England in 19 Test matches and has accumulated 882 runs at a decent average of 31.50. The right-handed batsman also has a hundred and five half-centuries to his name. Pope last played for England in June 2021, against New Zealand.

Meanwhile, England fans breathed a sigh of relief after James Anderson was included in India's playing XI. Anderson was a doubtful started after having a sore quad but the pacer regained full fitness before the match. Also, Mark Wood was included in the team in place of Stuart Broad. As for India, they made a forced change with Ishant Sharma replacing Shardul Thakur.