During the second Test against the West Indies, England's Ollie Pope was grateful for the stroke of luck that helped him reach a hundred after a slow start to the county season. Pope scored 121, his sixth Test century, as England posted 416 runs on the first day in Nottingham. Despite being dropped twice, Pope remained positive about his performance, acknowledging that luck was not on his side during his county matches.
Pope, who plays for Surrey in county cricket, mentioned feeling the pressure when others were scoring runs around the country, but he wasn't performing as expected. However, he understood that cricket can be unpredictable and scoring a hundred every day is not always possible. Pope credited his good friend and Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, who was in the crowd at Trent Bridge, for bringing him luck on the field. Ramsdale had previously been present when Pope scored a double century against Ireland at Lord's.
While Pope shone on a challenging day for the West Indies, off-spinner Kevin Sinclair from Guyana impressed with his celebratory somersault after dismissing Harry Brook. Sinclair explained that the unique celebration was a tribute to his roots, and he had practiced it since he was eight years old. Despite being a late addition to the team due to Gudakesh Motie's illness, Sinclair was confident in his abilities and happy to contribute to the match.