Ollie Pope Credits Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale As Cricket Lucky Charm

Ollie Pope, the England batter, has shared his strong connection with Arsenal.

Pope, who hit a century in England's second Test against West Indies, disclosed his support for Arsenal and mentioned an Arsenal player who seems to bring him luck during cricket matches.

During the match, Pope scored an impressive 121 runs off 167 balls. His innings included 15 fours and a six, marking his sixth Test century. The 26-year-old's performance helped England post a significant total of 416 runs on Day 1 of the second Test in Nottingham.

At the press conference following the day's play, Pope was asked about a special guest at the match. He revealed that Arsenal's goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale was in attendance and spoke about his run-scoring streak whenever Ramsdale is present.

"I'm obviously a big Arsenal fan. So I go support him (Aaron Ramsdale) a fair bit. He seems to be a lucky charm on the cricket pitch as well. So he just messaged me last night. I managed to sort him a couple of tickets. I think he loves his cricket and I love watching Arsenal play, so it's great for him to be here," Pope said to the reporters on Thursday.

Pope also mentioned how Ramsdale's presence in the stands often results in high scores for him. He recounted scoring a double century while Ramsdale was watching.

Ramsdale's Influence on Pope's Performance

"Well, he's come to two other games and one of them I scored 200. It always happens to be the day that he's there that I get the runs. I think he can come more often," Pope concluded.

Aaron Ramsdale was part of the England football squad that finished as runners-up in Euro 2024. Since joining Arsenal in 2021, he has been a key player for the Gunners but might leave North London this summer.