In the ongoing rain-marred second Test between England and India at Lord’s, the debutant young English cricketer Ollie Pope has recalled how the former Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara helped him to grow up.

At the age of just 20 years and 219 days, English cricketer Ollie Pope has made his international cricket debut in the ongoing second Test of five-match Test series between England and India at Lord’s. Pope is the 687th Test cricketer for England and 10th youngest English cricketer to make a Test debut. Pope got his place in the Test squad after Dawid Malan has been dropped out due to his poor form.

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Since making his professional cricket debut in 2016, Pope is playing his domestic English County cricket for Surrey where the former Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara played from 2015 to 2017.

Pope has claimed that Sangakkara helped him to grow up as a better batsman. Talking about that, the young English cricketer has shared one of his best cricketing moments.

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According to Sky Sports, Pope said, “My most memorable moment was putting on a 100-run partnership with him against Somerset. He got 150 and I got 50, just batting with him and talking between overs. I was facing Dominic Bess. He came down and said a small thing. ‘Don’t try to make your own areas’ and the next over I hit the nicest shot of the match. It was the small things. He was always watching and trying to help.”

The right-handed batsman Ollie Pope is currently one of the in-form and most prolific batsmen in the English County cricket. In the ongoing season of Specsavers County Championship Division One, the young batsman is currently at the second position of most runs scorer table as he has scored 684 runs in 10 innings (8 matches) with an impressive 85.50 average. He has already hit three centuries and one half-century in this County Championship season with the best knock of 158* against Yorkshire.