"We knew that if we bat anything like we know we can, then we can go really big. We got 2 greedy Yorkshiremen who did just that" - Ollie Pope
England stand-in captain Ollie Pope heaped praise on 'greedy Yorkshiremen' Joe Root and Harry Brook, whose batting heroics helped the side attain an unprecedented innings win over Pakistan in the first Test in Multan. The duo put on a world-record 454-run partnership for the fourth wicket in quick time to take the game away from the hosts.
England had to suffer initially after Pakistan made the most of a flat track by posting 556 in the first innings. The visitors had yielded positive results on similar surfaces in the past as well, but the fact that the Men in Green played out 149 overs made a huge difference.
England played 150 overs, and scored at a rate of 5.50 to record the fourth-highest team total in Test history. Joe Root scripted history after notching his career-high score (262) and going past Alastair Cook to become England's leading Test run-getter. Harry Brook, on the other hand, scored a triple hundred (317), becoming the first England batter to achieve the feat since Graham Gooch.
"I think whenever you get 550, whatever the pitch is, it is always a good score. But, we also knew that if we bat anything like we know we can, other than myself, then we can go really big. We got two greedy Yorkshiremen who did just that," Pope told Sky Cricket after the historic win.
"Credit to them, obviously the skills they showed, but also the fitness they showed as well. The fact that we knew we needed a massive score kept them driving towards those massive numbers," he added.
England declared with a lead of 267 runs, and wreaked havoc with the new ball. Pakistan had to resign themselves to defeat after closing out Day 4 with six wickets down. While the duo of Aamer Jamal and Salman Ali Agha offered some resistance, Jack Leach ran through the remaining wickets on the final day to secure a series lead.
"In my mind, I would have been like, 'Why can't that be me?'" - Ollie Pope
While the batters thrived on the lifeless pitch, Ollie Pope was dismissed for a duck. The right-handed batter came in as an opener after Ben Duckett sustained a finger injury while taking a catch. He was undone by a stunning one-handed catch by Aamer Jamal in the second over of the innings.
Pope was asked about the feeling of missing out on a batters' paradise and having to watch his teammates pile on the runs after his early dismissal.
"I think when I was a bit younger, early on in my professional career, that would have been a situation that I would have not hated, but in my mind, I would have been like, 'Why can't that be me?' Pope said during the aforementioned interview.
"I was fortunate enough to get some runs in the last game, and I will look at the next two games as an opportunity to make some match-winning performances. But, I loved every bit of watching the two Yorkshiremen bat," he concluded.
The second Test is scheduled to take place at the same venue from Tuesday, October 15 onwards.