"There's probably a slightly different plan" - Ollie Pope on England tackling Steve Smith in Ashes 2023

England batter Ollie Pope has remarked that they have devised a different strategy, compared to previous years, for the in-form Steve Smith ahead of the 2023 Ashes. The Surrey batter acknowledged that England must come up with quirky ways to challenge a skilled batter like Smith.

Smith has an exemplary record against England and in English conditions. The 2019 Ashes saw the former Aussie captain hammer 774 runs in four Tests, averaging over 100. He now averages 61.60 in 17 Tests in England, with seven tons.

Pope, England's vice-captain for the Ashes, expressed confidence in their bowlers' learnings over the years on how to bowl to Smith. As quoted by the Daily Mail, the 25-year-old said:

"I can't say too much but there's probably a slightly different plan for Smith this time. There's a lot of talented bowlers in our changing room who have worked out ways to bowl at him - targetting both edges as well. Steve Smith is a highly-skilled batter and scores a lot of runs but I think for him, we will be looking at quirky ways to challenge him, test him out, and make him as uncomfortable as we possibly can to try to get his wicket."

The 34-year-old sent a warning signal to England with a pristine 121 against India at the Kennington Oval in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Ollie Pope confident of captaining England if required

Ollie Pope. (Image Credits: Getty)

Amidst concerns regarding England captain Ben Stokes' fitness, Ollie Pope asserted that the all-rounder is fully fit and that it will take a lot to keep him off the field. He added:

"Fingers crossed Stokesy's body is all good. It's going to take a hell of a lot for him not to be on the pitch even for a day's play, knowing what he's like. But if it did happen, I feel confident. We've played a lot together as a team over the last year and a bit, and he knows how he wants the bowlers to operate, the kind of fields he sets, and tries to get players to hit balls in areas that they don't normally want to hit in."

England warmed up for the Ashes with a comfortable ten-wicket win over Ireland at Lord's.