"He was constantly on the phone. He was calling up his family, his friends and he was getting a lot of texts from all people that know him. "It was a great experience to be part of it," Jacks told mid-day
Surrey's Ollie Pope watches the ball during a county match against Nottinghamshire last month. Pic/Getty Images
Will Jacks has known Ollie Pope for over a decade, but nothing can compare to the facial expression of Pope as he heard about his call-up into the England Test squad. It was Sunday afternoon and Jacks was outside his house waiting for his Surrey teammate, Pope to arrive so he could drive him to the team's T20 match against Essex at Chelmsford. But the minute Pope stepped out of the car talking on the phone, Jacks witnessed a facial impression that was incredibly peculiar.
"He looked in complete shock. I just asked what happened and he said 'I've been called up into the England Test squad'. "He simply couldn't believe it. He was totally not expecting it and it took a while to sink in," Jacks told mid-day yesterday. Pope was picked in the England squad for the upcoming second Test against India and is almost certain to make his debut on Thursday.
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"He got the phone call that he was picked in the England team literally as he was parking at my house, so I was pretty much the first person he told. I congratulated him and he simply just stood there waiting for it to sink in," Jacks added. For the duration of the drive to the ground at Chelmsford, the pair would barely get a chance to talk as Pope's phone rang continuously. "He was constantly on the phone. He was calling up his family, his friends and he was getting a lot of texts from all people that know him. "It was a great experience to be part of it," Jacks remarked.
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