Dawid Malan became the latest casualty of England’s new policy to promote youth when he was dropped for the second Test against India and replaced by Ollie Pope. Pope becomes the third 20 year old picked by Ed Smith since his appointment as national selector in April while Malan joins Mark Stoneman as the latest player from last winter’s Ashes hammering to be cast aside. As Pope is replacing Malan it can be assumed he will bat at four even though he appears at six for Surrey in championship cricket. Chris Woakes is back in the squad in place of Ben Stokes and is fully fit again. Moeen Ali is in the 13 and England will again be tempted to pick two spinners on what will be a dry Lord’s surface after so much hot weather in London this summer. Pope is friends with Sam Curran, his fellow 20 year-old from Surrey, and if he shares the allrounder’s nerveless, calm character then England should have no concerns about throwing him in to face India and bat against Ravi Ashwin, a challenge like no other he has faced in county cricket. Pope has only played 15 first class matches but averages 63.25 and this season has had a huge impact at Surrey with 742 runs in 12 innings to help his county reach the top of the first division.<doc-sep>A little plume of smoke may have been visible over ECB towers and a new Pope was selected: Ollie Pope, the 20‑year‑old Surrey batsman who has played 15 first-class games in his life and whose 16th may well be a Lord’s Test against India with the stands heaving. Ed Smith, the chief selector, who is fast making the announcement of England Test squads worthy of eager anticipation, said of his latest recruit: “Ollie Pope has made an exceptional start to his first-class career. He has reached 1,000 first-class runs in just 15 matches and is the first division’s standout batsman this season with 684 runs at 85. The selection panel believes that Ollie’s performances and character suggest he is well suited to international cricket.” There will be celebrations at Pope’s county that were conspicuously absent after Smith’s previous eyebrow‑raising selection. By modern Surrey standards Pope is a late developer: he is five months older than his good friend Sam Curran, who has played almost three times as many first-class games as well as participating in two Test victories. So Curran can help with the introductions if necessary. Alec Stewart, Surrey’s cricket director, will be proud rather than grumpy that his Championship-chasing side has been diminished, though he may be eager that expectations of Pope should not be too extravagant. Pope is right-handed, naturally aggressive – like most English wicketkeepers although this job is in the safe hands of Ben Foakes at Surrey. He has impressed rapidly on both sides of the world – in London and in Sydney where he played so well in grade cricket for Campbelltown-Camden that he received a glowing mention in the New South Wales parliament. For Surrey he has been batting at No 6 this summer yet the assumption, given he is replacing Dawid Malan in the squad, is that he will be invited to bat at four for England – an invitation he is unlikely to decline. That tribute in Sydney highlighted what a “gentleman” he is and that tallies with his reaction to his call-up since he was quick to praise the Surrey academy director, Graeme Townsend, the coach Neil Stewart as well as his coach at Cranleigh School, Stuart Welch. Pope also noted the advantage of playing in front of big crowds at the Oval in his first few games. “That was massive,” he said. “It made me realise the bigger picture of cricket straight away, that you weren’t just playing for yourself. It’s been awesome seeing Sammy go this week and it makes you realise you can come in as a 20-year-old and have a big impact.” Sanctioning such a rapid elevation to the Test team might have worried selectors of the past but not any more. Smith is on a roll and shows no inclination to stop. He began in May with the call-up of Jos Buttler straight from the Indian Premier League and Dom Bess, the 21-year-old off-spinner from Somerset; at Headingley in June Curran was introduced to Test cricket. Then for the Edgbaston Test he summoned up Adil Rashid, who had not laid eyes upon a red ball since last September. All four of these selections have worked out happily so far, though Buttler’s contribution with the bat at Edgbaston did not even reach the dizzy heights of negligible. Bess buzzed with the bat and in the field and picked up a few wickets before being replaced by Rashid who, in an understated way, contributed to the Edgbaston victory, dismissing Virat Kohli once and Ishant Sharma twice. Curran somehow pipped Kohli as man of the match in Birmingham. Smith’s inclinations are bold but also rational. It seems he has come to the conclusion that the batsmen selected for the Ashes series last winter are not good enough. So he is prepared to take a punt on talented cricketers who just might be, a risk most definitely but surely one worth taking. He has, quite rightly, brushed aside the notion of sticking to a winning side, though that was never possible here since Ben Stokes has other business to attend to this week. Spin Smith’s explanation for excluding Malan, who endured the agonies of dropping slip catches in Birmingham as well as struggling for runs, was brief and quite brutal: “Dawid Malan drops out of the squad for Lord’s. Dawid has not found his best rhythm this season and it may be that his game is better suited to overseas conditions.” That may be true but it is usually the type of observation restricted to pundits rather than selectors. Less provocatively, Chris Woakes returns to the squad as a consequence of Stokes’s absence. From this distance it is likely that the last place in the team rests between Woakes and Moeen Ali, assuming that England delay rotating their senior bowlers. In any case, it would spoil the fun to omit any of the 20-year-olds. England Test squad Joe Root (Yorkshire), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jimmy Anderson (Lancashire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Alastair Cook (Essex), Sam Curran (Surrey), Keaton Jennings (Lancashire), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Jamie Porter (Essex), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)<doc-sep>Last updated on .From the section Cricket Ollie Pope has made three hundreds and a fifty in eight County Championship games for Surrey this season England v India, second Specsavers Test Venue: Lord's Dates: 9-13 August Time: 11:00 BST Coverage: Ball-by-ball Test Match Special commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, Radio 4 LW and the BBC Sport website. In-play clips and live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app. Full tour details England have called up uncapped batsman Ollie Pope in place of Dawid Malan for the second Test against India at Lord's starting on Thursday. Surrey's Pope, 20, is the second highest run-scorer in County Championship Division One this season, with 684 at an average of 85.50. Chris Woakes replaces fellow all-rounder Ben Stokes, whose trial for alleged affray begins on Monday. England won a thrilling first Test at Edgbaston by 31 runs on Saturday. Uncapped seamer Jamie Porter and off-spinning all-rounder Moeen Ali, who were left out of the final XI in Birmingham, retain their places in the 13-man squad. England squad for second Test Joe Root (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes. Who is Ollie Pope? Pope averages 63.25 in 15 first-class matches, having made his debut in July 2017. He scored a century in his third first-class game, and three hundreds this summer have helped Surrey to the top of the Championship table. Pope bats at six for his county, although he made an unbeaten 50 at number five for England Lions against India in the tour match at New Road before the Test series. "Ollie Pope has made an exceptional start to his first-class career," said national selector Ed Smith, who described him as the "standout batsman" in Division One. "The selection panel believe Ollie's performances and character suggest he is well suited to international cricket." Left-hander Malan, 30, is averaging only 16.89 in nine Test innings since last winter's Ashes. He made eight and 20 batting at four at Edgbaston and has scored only one century - 140 against Australia in Perth last winter - in 15 Tests since making his debut against South Africa last summer. "Dawid has not found his best rhythm this season, and it may be that his game is better suited to overseas conditions," said Smith. Although he took three catches at Edgbaston, he also dropped three, including Virat Kohli on 21. The India captain went on to make 149 in the first innings. Woakes returns as Stokes misses out Stokes' absence for the second Test was expected because of his trial, which will be heard at Bristol Crown Court. He took six wickets in the match at Edgbaston, including a crucial 4-40 in the second innings to help bowl India out for 162 in pursuit of 194 on a tense fourth morning. Warwickshire's Woakes returns after recovering from quad and knee injuries. He played for the Lions against India and has also featured in one Championship game and three T20 Blast matches since his most recent Test appearance, against Pakistan at Headingley in June. Called up by England for the first time at Edgbaston, Porter was released to play T20 games for Essex on Thursday and Friday. He took 75 wickets at an average of 16.83 as Essex won the Championship in 2017, and has 28 at 26.82 this season. Analysis BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew on BBC Radio 5 live Everything Ed Smith is touching is turning to gold at the moment and he has once again taken a punt on youth. Pope caught the eye last year as a one-day innovator. This season he has scored three centuries in 10 Championship innings with a top score of 158 not out. He is having a magnificent season, but only 15 first-class matches isn't a great deal of experience, especially against this India attack. Will he bat at four? That's a big ask for a 20-year-old. Maybe Jonny Bairstow will move up; maybe Jos Buttler will move up. Malan's form slumped after his century in the third Ashes Test of last winter. Dropping Kohli at slip last week won't have helped his cause either. There has been an awful lot of fluctuation in that England batting line-up. With Stokes absent, answering his charge of affray, England have the choice of replacing him with Moeen as a second spinner or Woakes, if the conditions are more suited to seam bowling.<doc-sep>
READY FOR LORD'S Malan makes way as Ollie Pope gets call up for Lord's Test by Vithushan Ehantharajah • Last updated on Ollie Pope has been in tremendous form, scoring 684 runs in Division One of the County Championship at 85.50. © Getty Ollie Pope has been called up to England's squad for the second Test against India, with Dawid Malan dropping out after a lean run of form that has seen him reach fifty only once in his last 10 innings. Chris Woakes also returns to replace Ben Stokes, who misses the match at Lord's which begins on Thursday, to face a charge of affray at Bristol Crown Court. England travel to London one-nil up in the five-match series after sealing victory in the opening Test by 31 runs. Squad: Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes The 20-year-old Pope is a middle-order batsman for Surrey who has enjoyed a stellar start to the 2018 season - only his second in first-class cricket. He has 684 runs in Division One of the County Championship at an average of 85.50, with three centuries (a highest of 158 not out) and one fifty. While his domestic form caught the eye, as well as regular performances in the Young Lions squads during 2016/17, the England management were struck by his maturity during the two matches he played in the North-South series in pre-season, scoring 110 runs across both innings. On the selection, national selector Ed Smith had this to say: "Ollie Pope has made an exceptional start to his first-class career. He has reached a 1,000 first-class runs in just 15 matches and is the first division's stand-out batsman this season with 684 runs at 85. The selection panel believe that Ollie's performances and character suggest he is well suited to international cricket." Pope also scored 50 for England Lions in their four-day win against India A by 253 runs at the end of July, at New Road. Here, he batted at number five: a change from his usual position at Surrey of number six. There is a chance, given he replaces Malan, that he will slot in at number four for England. Moeen Ali is also an option for that spot. Much will depend on whether the captain Joe Root wants the extra spin threat or if England want another right-hander in their top order to counter the threat of offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who took seven for 121 in the first Test at Edgbaston. As for Malan, his scores of eight and 20 in the opening match was compounded by a nightmarish time in the slips, dropping Virat Kohli on 21 and 51 in the first innings - the India skipper went on to score 149 - before also shelling Murali Vijay in the second. He was at least able to make amends with a sharp low catch to remove Dinesh Karthik six balls into the final day. The Middlesex batsman leaves Test cricket for now with an average of 27.84 from his 15 Tests, with a notable high of an Ashes hundred on the recent tour of Australia. His 140 in the first innings of the third Test at Perth back in December 2017 (he scored 54 in the second) was one of the few highlights from a harrowing 4-0 series defeat. Unfortunately, he was unable to kick on, only managing two other fifties, the last of those coming in March against New Zealand. "Dawid Malan drops out of the squad for Lord's," said Smith. "Dawid has not found his best rhythm this season, and it may be that his game is better suited to overseas conditions." As for Woakes, he was with the squad during the first Test, going through a full spell of bowling on the first training day at Edgbaston, before returning to the Birmingham Bears for their Twenty20 Blast campaign, taking 2 for 18 in their victory over Leicestershire and nought for 36 during a defeat to Derbyshire in consecutive days. The England management are confident that he is back to full fitness after recovering from an injury to his right knee. © Cricbuzz TAGS RELATED STORIES