Ollie Pope Links Franchise Cricket to Declining Sledging Amid Fiery England-India Test

Ollie Pope Links Franchise Cricket to Declining Sledging Amid Fiery England-India Test

Posted by Daxton LeMans On 26 Jul, 2025 Comments (0)

Ollie Pope Sees Franchise Cricket as Game Changer for Sledging

If you watched England's third Test against India at Lord’s, you couldn’t miss the tension on the field. A fired-up Mohammed Siraj gave Ben Duckett an animated send-off and got fined for it. There was also plenty of drama when Zak Crawley tried to run down the clock, which led Indian captain Shubman Gill and his bowlers to have a few words. Yet, in the middle of all this, England’s Ollie Pope had a different perspective on sledging: it’s not what it used to be.

Pope calls himself "not a massive sledger." He credits the rise of franchise cricket for transforming on-field behavior. Guys who used to be fierce rivals now rub shoulders in leagues from the IPL to The Hundred. According to Pope, playing together in franchise teams breaks down barriers and builds genuine connections. "You get to know the opposition well," he says, meaning the edge that once fueled relentless verbal jousting has dulled. It’s hard to hurl insults at a batter you just shared a dressing room with—or maybe even a pizza.

This calm doesn’t mean there’s no fire. The heat between England and India was real at Lord’s, especially when the match tightened after England’s lead shrank. Siraj’s send-off and Crawley’s tactics lit a spark, but these moments are rare now, Pope insists. Players, he says, are far less interested in winding each other up just for the sake of it.

Inside England’s Laid-back Dressing Room

The old cricketing stereotypes—proper kit, strict rules, and a fine jar for minor slip-ups—don’t really fit the current England team, at least not according to Pope. He describes a relaxed, almost casual vibe in the dressing room. Forget fines for missing a team hat or turning up in the wrong shoes; nowadays, some players wander in wearing flip-flops, as long as the big sponsor logos are visible for the cameras.

Pope’s chat was more than just about sledging. He spoke honestly about what excites him at the crease: hitting sixes tops the list. There’s a unique buzz, he says, in launching the ball over the ropes—much better than hustling for a quick single. He laughed about the occasional pain of getting hit, especially on the ribs, but admits modern body armor takes most of the sting out. Still, every batter knows that absolute stinger that sneaks under the pad or clatters into a not-so-well-protected spot.

England’s 22-run victory at Lord’s wasn’t just another tick in the win column. It put them 2-1 up in the five-match series and set the stage for an even bigger showdown in Manchester starting July 23. But Pope’s take on the way cricket has changed—more friendly, less feisty—may be the real signal of where the game is headed. Franchise leagues aren’t just boosting bank balances; they’re rewiring cricket’s old-school rivalries, turning arch-enemies into teammates and giving the sport a new kind of edge that’s less about words, more about skill.