Ashes Scout: Aussies call up new keeper, Pope regains faith after horror tour, Roy commits to England despite US deal

Australia have called in Queensland wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson to the Australian squad for the Ashes to replace Josh Inglis.

The Queensland and Brisbane Heat gloveman is due to join in London for the second Test at Lord’s next month in place of West Australian Josh Inglis, who will return home for the birth of his first child with partner Megan Kincart.

Peirson toured with the Australia A side to New Zealand recently and has been knocking on the door of national honours in recent seasons but with Inglis and Alex Carey ahead of him on the pecking order, it’s been tough to get a look-in.

The 30-year-old has played 65 first-class matches, completing 234 dismissals behind the stumps while averaging 34.75 in compiling 3024 runs with six centuries.

Inglis will rejoin the squad later in the tour.

(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Pope regains faith after horror Aussie tour

England’s new Test vice-captain Ollie Pope has revealed how the backing he received from Ben Stokes last year helped rebuild his self-belief.

Pope was at a low ebb after the last Ashes tour after his confidence was shot to pieces by the Australian bowling attack. 

He played in the first two Tests before being dropped then recalled for the last match in Hobart, along the way only cobbling together 67 runs at 11.16.

Pope’s career was at a crossroads after he was an unused squad member in the West Indies in Joe Root’s final series in charge before Stokes took over as skipper last year.

(Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

The Surrey batter has previously admitted he feared losing his place in the squad altogether but Stokes helped remove those insecurities by not only restoring him to the XI, but promoting him to the pivotal number three slot.

His output has improved significantly, averaging 38.52 in the last 12 Tests versus a modest 28.66 in the previous 23, with a career-best 145 against New Zealand at Trent Bridge and a dashing hundred in Pakistan showing the 25-year-old at his best.

Now he has been installed as Stokes’ deputy at the start of an Ashes summer, having impressed senior members of the side with his confidence and tactical acumen. He credits Stokes’ man-management with kicking off his reinvention.

“I think there was a time after the last Ashes where he thought I was better than I thought I was, to be honest,” Pope said.

“That’s probably why I got picked when they (Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum) came in. He backed me for a long time more than I backed myself, for sure. He’s brought that out of me so now I feel like I’m a good player and he feels like I am too.

“I mean he’s a superstar now, you travel the world with him and it doesn’t matter what country we’re in, he’s getting recognised everywhere he goes, but the best thing about him is he’d do anything for his team.”

Pope has particularly enjoyed the relaxed environment that Stokes and McCullum have championed.

Ollie Pope. (Photo by Matt Roberts – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)

Training is now focused on individual requirements rather than mandatory time slots, team bonding is considered just as important as data analysis and there is a palpable sense of fun when the squad gets together.

The contrast could hardly be more apparent compared to the last Ashes tour Down Under, when Covid-19 restrictions were in force and cast a long shadow over England’s 4-0 series defeat.

“That was obviously a tough trip. It was also a trip where we got put in a hotel room for basically 10 days before we were allowed out, things that aren’t amazing for your mental health,” he said.

“Playing for England should be the best time of your life as a player and at the time it probably wasn’t.

“It was too much pressure, too much stress. What the guys like Stokes, McCullum and Rob Key have done is they’ve just made a Test match week a fun week.

“We’ll go out and play golf the day before after training. We’ll then just talk about ‘how good is this? We get to play at Lord’s in front of a packed house’ and just be a bit more grateful for what we can do that week, rather than thinking ‘oh, if I miss that, this could be my last one’.”

Roy reaffirms England commitment despite MLC deal

World Cup-winning batter Jason Roy says he will never “walk away from England” despite accepting a deal with Major League Cricket in the United States.

Roy has had to cancel the remainder of his current incremental contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board to pursue a lucrative T20 deal across the Atlantic, but both parties have made it clear that need not spell the end of his international career.

The 32-year-old has reportedly been offered in the region of Stg 300,000 ($A569,000) to represent Los Angeles Knight Riders on a two-season deal in the new MLC tournament, a figure that dwarfs the terms he is foregoing with the ECB.

Roy’s incremental agreement was worth between Stg 60,000 ($A114,000) and Stg 70,000 ($A133,000) and ran until October. 

His participation in the inaugural season of MLC in July will not directly rule him out of any England fixtures and he has been given assurances that the termination of his ECB deal will not count against him in future selection.

With the ODI World Cup coming later this year, Roy is still holding out hopes of leading the side’s defence of their 2019 crown.

Posting to Twitter after news of his move began to be reported, Roy wrote: “Following a bit of unwanted speculation over the last 24 hours, I wanted to clarify that I am not and never will ‘walk away from England’.

“Representing my country continues to be my proudest moment as a professional cricketer. I hope to play for England for many more years, that remains my priority.

“I’ve had clear and supportive conversations with the ECB about participating in Major League Cricket. 

“The ECB were happy for me to play in the competition as long as they didn’t have to pay me for the remainder of the contractual year.

“As a single format player with no central contract I wanted to take the opportunity to play this competition as there are currently no scheduling conflicts with England. 

“It benefits me as an England player to play as much competitive cricket as possible.

“Just to be very clear, my priority is England cricket, especially with a World Cup soon upon us. It is for me, and for any player, the greatest honour to receive a cap to play for their country.”

A statement followed soon after from the ECB, confirming the apparently amicable decision.

“The ECB wish to clarify that this decision will not affect Jason’s selection for England teams going forward. We have absolute confidence and faith that Jason is committed to England cricket,” it said.

It has been reported that Surrey seamer Reece Topley, who also receives an incremental deal from the ECB, has also been targeted by MLC, while there has been mounting speculation that IPL franchises could soon be looking to sign up high-profile star names on 12-month deals. 

Jofra Archer, who was recently ruled out of the English summer through injury, is among those to have been linked.

Ashes countdown: Days to go …

21

Glenn McGrath’s bowling average (rounded up from 20.92) in 30 Ashes Tests from 1994-2007. He took 157 wickets to be second on the all-time tally behind Shane Warne’s 195.

On This Day … 

May 26 – Paul Collingwood was born in Durham. The stylish right-handed batter was famously sledged by Shane Warne after he received an OBE despite playing a brief part in the 2005 Ashes win. He scored a career-best 206 in Adelaide in the 2006-07 tour but that was his only century in 16 Ashes Tests.