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Joe Root told England to let young stars Ollie Pope and Dom Bess lead team off Test field in triumph

Dom Bess and Ollie Pope lead England off at port Elizabeth - Getty Images Europe
Dom Bess and Ollie Pope lead England off at port Elizabeth - Getty Images Europe

Joe Root ordered his players to stand back and let the youngsters Ollie Pope and Dominic Bess lead the team the off the field at Port Elizabeth after the next generation took a big step forward in this match.

Pope’s century and Bess’s six wickets in the match followed Dominic Sibley and Zak Crawley providing England’s longest first innings opening partnership for 11 years.

All of a sudden the wind of change is blowing through the England dressing room. Root has been here before. After the win in Sri Lanka before Christmas 2018 it was felt then he was finally stamping his mark on the side. But that team still leaned heavily on players who pre-dated Root as captain and the positivity evaporated when the Ashes remained in Australian hands.

Youth always brings new energy and Pope, Sibley, Bess, Crawley and Sam Curran have re-energised the environment. With Jofra Archer and Rory Burns to add when fit, Chris Silverwood has the basis of a team forming.

Pope is the most complete player of the group at this stage with a technique that looks well equipped to stand up to any conditions and shares so much with a young Root. It is a question of whether he can be consistent and cope with the added burden of expectation.

Ollie Pope poses with the man of the match trophy at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth - Credit: Reuters
Ollie Pope poses with the man of the match trophy at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth Credit: Reuters

Sibley has clear technical issues against pace and spin. He is also working hard on his fitness. Nicknamed ‘The Fridge’ by his team-mates, Sibley is another player to emerge from county cricket a long way from being fit enough for Test level.

Bess was gifted wickets in the South African first innings by batsmen who did not try and sweep or put him off his lengths. He was outbowled by Root after he enforced the follow on. Sri Lankan batsmen will give him tougher times in March and he will not have many easier Tests than this one, but the confidence he has gained here and a competitive streak matched by a smart cricket brain gives a lot of hope for his development.

Crawley is raw and only playing because of injury to Rory Burns but just being immersed in the England environment should be enough of an education. The one aspect that unites this young generation is that each is eager to learn.

Crawley only needs to ask Pope how that can be achieved. Pope was picked for the last tour to Sri Lanka but did not feature in the first team. However, he watched Ben Stokes train and told the management it made him realise how hard he would have to work at his game in all areas to be an international cricketer. That attitude left an impression.

It helps that Sibley, Pope and Curran have all emerged from the Surrey academy and are friends. Normally at the end of play head coach Chris Silverwood addresses the group. But after Pope’s hundred on day two he stepped aside and allowed Curran instead to conduct the team talk. He paid an emotional tribute to Pope, further strengthening the bond that England hope will tie this generation together over the next few years.

England bowler Sam Curran celebrates with Ollie Pope - Credit:  Stu Forster/Getty Images
Pals: Sam Curran celebrates with Ollie Pope Credit: Stu Forster/Getty Images

Each has bought into the team environment. Culture is a word you often hear used by Root, Eoin Morgan and Ashley Giles. Their motto of courage, unity and respect is drummed into the team.

The value of a player’s central contract is partly based on how they uphold those traits. Their annual performance review includes a score out of five for protecting the team’s culture, a move initiated after the Bristol incident and allegations of boozing on the last Ashes tour. Any young player who  breaks the midnight curfew or behaves immaturely behind the scenes will not last long.

Committing to youth involves creating an environment where failure is tolerated, something that is always easier to safeguard after a victory like the one in Port Elizabeth. Morgan managed it in the one-day side, insisting he wanted his team to buy into a method of playing, and not let early setbacks cloud the longer term view.

Anrich Nortje is bowled by Dom Bess  - Credit: Stu Forster/Getty Images
Anrich Nortje is bowled by Dom Bess Credit: Stu Forster/Getty Images

Perhaps the best compliment for England’s performance in Port Elizabeth came from Faf du Plessis, who described their top three as “doing a very boring job.” Root and Silverwood demand old fashioned values of wearing down the opposition and were delighted to hear Du Plessis’ description.

“I thought it was a brilliant template for us moving forward as a team: big first innings runs and then we really drove the game from that point onwards,” said Root. “Seeing another two youngsters (Pope and Bess) really step up and make massive contribution is exactly what we’re after at the minute in terms of our development as a team, moving forward. It fills the whole group with huge amounts of confidence."

He was asked to to rate Pope, who was sat next to him wearing his man of the match medal.

“He’s smart, he reads the game very well, reads situations very well and we’ve already seen that on this trip in his short international career. He’s more than capable of going on and breaking a number of records for England.”