After a horrific Ashes tour of Australia saw him axed by England for their next tour of the West Indies, Ollie Pope found his Test career at a crossroads having failed to translate his excellent domestic record into consistent runs on the international stage.
Against Australia, Pope managed just 67 runs in six innings at an average of 11.16, with his Test average slipping to just 28.66 after 23 appearances. However, the new captain and coach combination of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum believed in Pope's potential and tasked him with making the number three position his own, despite never having batted there before.
McCullum in particular spent time with Pope, instilling him with confidence and helping him embrace the new positive and aggressive approach England were looking to take. Managing Director Rob Key revealed in July that McCullum made sure he would get one-on-one time with Pope by asking him to give him a lift to the ground before play.
Speaking to The Podium podcast, Pope explained that acting as McCullum's chauffeur helped them form a "personal relationship" and that their interactions made him feel like he belonged as a Test cricketer.
"I think he was trying to get around some of us younger players who he knew needed clarity in the team and that backing from the management," Pope explained. "One of his ways to do it was spending a bit more time getting around us and really creating that personal relationship which you really feel as a player.
"It's good to get to feel wanted within the team and [asking players for lifts] was one of his strategies to make some of us younger guys feel like we belong at this level." And Pope has enjoyed great success under McCullum, scoring 690 runs at an average of 43.12 at number three - including two centuries and five half-centuries in ten Tests.
"Naturally in cricket you get one shot and if you make one mistake then you're out and I'll probably spend too long thinking about how not to get out rather than how I'm going to score my runs," he added.
"Baz and Stokes have sort of led me into realising you're going to get out at some point so you may as well just keep taking that that positive option. They drive that forward and I think everyone feels the same."
And McCullum himself has regularly spoken about how having fun is at the centre of his coaching philosophy, stating: "Test cricket is hard and travelling the world can be difficult, but it's meant to be a fun time in your life and you should be able to enjoy it not just on the field but off the field as well."
