'He's so relaxed when he bats'- Ollie Pope hails 'unbelievable' Joe Root for century in Nottingham Test

England batter Ollie Pope has credited Joe Root after he scored a sparkling century in the ongoing second Test match against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. Pope scored 145 and was also involved in a 187-run stand with Root for the third wicket as the hosts challenged the Kiwis on the third day.

Meanwhile, this was also Ollie Pope’s maiden Test century on home soil and more importantly, he succeeded in breaching three figures after being promoted up the order at number three. This was indeed a morale-boosting knock for Pope whose last century had come way back in January 2020 against South Africa at Port Elizabeth.

I really enjoyed batting with Rooty: Ollie Pope

“It was awesome out there. I really enjoyed it – batting with Rooty. He is unbelievable and doing it week in, week out,” said Ollie Pope while speaking to Sky Sports Cricket. “He is so relaxed when he bats. He is in so much control. From a technical point of view, he scores so many runs down to third man. That’s what I do when I am playing well as well, so it’s a good little reminder for me.”

Meanwhile, Joe Root continued his outstanding form as he notched up yet another scintillating ton in this Test series. He missed out on a well-deserved double century after being dismissed for 176. Nonetheless, the English batting sensation made a couple of unique records during this incredible knock. This was the fastest Test century of his career that came off just 116 balls.

Apart from that, this was also the former skipper’s fourth ton in the last five Tests. At the same time, Root also registered his 27th hundred in the longest format and equaled the feat of batting megastars Virat Kohli and Steve Smith. Having showcased a splendid batting performance in their first innings, England would now be hoping to stage a comeback in this Test match in the next two days.