Ollie Pope delivers solitary shaft of light for sorry England in second Test

Here is a tale of missed opportunities which heightens the eerie feeling that England are now embarked on a nightmarish tour of Ashes proportions. Here was the chance to lift the spirits despite all the setbacks of the past fortnight. The sun shone blissfully upon Newlands, which was packed to the rafters, Table Mountain had its fluffy hat on and England won a good toss on a good wicket. Yet the scorecard demonstrates how horrendously they missed the chance to ignite their tour.

Look down the list which reveals that England were 262 for nine at the close. With the exception of Zak Crawley, the man called in to replace Rory Burns, six batsmen scored 29 or more yet just one of them, Ollie Pope, was capable of reaching a half-century – and he had to rely upon the last man Jimmy Anderson hanging in alongside him to reach this landmark. Pope was the solitary shaft of light for England, solid at the start of his innings and improvising impishly when in partnership with Anderson at the end.

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