Getting dropped was the right decision at the time: Ollie Pope

Ollie Pope has responded to critics who suggested England weren't "fussed" about winning the Ashes, while accepting his own dropping from the side was justified.

Pope failed to pass fifty in six innings during the Ashes and was dropped for the final two Tests, replaced by Jacob Bethell. Bethell's subsequent maiden first-class century has potentially pushed Pope out of the No. 3 spot.

Addressing the criticism of England's approach, Pope insisted the team's poor performance did not reflect a lack of desire to win.

"Going into that series, there was a lot spoken about the preparation," Pope said at Surrey's pre-season media day. "As a team, the misconception might be that we weren't as fussed as it came across. All we wanted to do was go and win the Ashes."

He pointed to the narrow first-Test loss as pivotal: "The tough thing for everyone in that first game was the nature of it. Had we won that, and we'd done slightly better on day two, the idea is different."

England's only victory came in the fourth Test, but they had started the series strongly by bowling Australia out for 132 on the first day. However, Travis Head's counter-attacking century in Australia's second innings shifted momentum decisively.

Reflecting on his own omission, Pope agreed with the selectors' call.

"I knew where I stood," he admitted. "Getting dropped was tough, but it was the right decision at the time. The chats were just to go back and score a load of runs, then if I'm not in the England XI, make sure I'm the best batter in the country."

The 28-year-old, who was England's Test vice-captain before the Ashes, remains optimistic about his future.

"I've played a lot of Test cricket, 64 Tests, but I still feel like my best batting years are to come."