Ollie Pope makes bold prediction about England Test batting

Ollie Pope believes that England could potentially score 600 runs in a single day of Test cricket under the right circumstances.

Pope, who was one of three century-makers in England's series-clinching victory over the West Indies at Trent Bridge, highlighted the team's ability to adapt their aggressive batting approach, nicknamed 'Bazball' after coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes.

He noted the team's evolution from a unit building confidence to one aiming for ruthlessness, capable of managing conditions and reading situations effectively.

"I think when Baz (England coach Brendon McCullum) and Stokesy took over, we were a batting unit with, not a lack of experience, but a lack of confidence at the time," said Pope.

"At the time it was about building confidence, now it's about hopefully becoming more and more ruthless.

"Sometimes we might score 280-300 in a day but that's OK and probably because we're reading situations."

Reflecting on England's historic achievement of surpassing 400 runs in both innings for the first time in Test cricket history during the match, Pope emphasized their potential to replicate or even exceed such feats in the future.

"We saw at Trent Bridge, when the lights were on and it started swinging more that was the time just to manage the game a little bit and that's something we want to keep getting better and better at.

"But there might be a day where we go and get 500 or 600 at some point in the future as well. That's a cool thing to have."

He pointed out the team's recent successes and the contributions of new talent like Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, and Jamie Smith, highlighting a balanced and competitive squad undergoing significant rejuvenation.

"I think there were some big calls and some tough calls to make on guys, but it feels at the minute that we've got a really nice balanced attack and batting line-up as well," said Pope.

"We want to give guys confidence and that we're building the team around them, but at the same time, in international cricket there's always going to be pressure for spots.

"It's been shown in the last few weeks that the guys who have come in have done beautifully and we can keep building from here."