Pope hurt his shoulder while fielding in the first innings of the 43-run defeat at Lord’s and went on to aggravate the problem when a misunderstanding with the match officials led England to believe they could not use a substitute fielder later in the game.
He then batted in both innings and made 42 and three in the match, batting in his regular spot at three.
The 25-year-old has been retained in a 15-man squad for the third Test at Headingley, which England need to win to stand a chance of overturning a 2-0 deficit. However, it remains uncertain whether he will be deemed fit for the match.
Speaking to BBC, England head coach Brendon McCullum said: “We will check Ollie and work it out. We will see how he is. “I was so proud of Ollie, to do what he did (at Lord’s). He’s a tough kid to bat at number three and want to make an impact.”
“That 40-odd in the first innings, he was suffering a lot of pain, but he was able to invest in the team and put that to one side and operate. He’s obviously our vice-captain as well and a fantastic leader in the group, albeit at a young age.”
Meanwhile, Dan Lawrence, who plays for Essex, is the spare batter in the squad and would be in line for a recall if Pope is forced to pull out.
Lawrence has so far represented England in 11 Tests, scoring 551 runs, which includes four half-centuries. In First-Class cricket, he has amassed 6050 runs in 113 games, including 14 centuries and 28 fifties.
England is trailing 0-2 in the five-match series and will look to will look to avenge their losses with the third Test of the series set to get underway on July 6 at Headingley in Leeds.
–IANS
bc/cs