Stuart Broad has tipped Ollie Pope to be England’s next Test skipper, calling him a “great leader” and that “there’s no doubt” the 25-year-old has the ability to step up.
Speaking from Hamilton where England are putting the finishing touches on their preparation for a two-match Test series in New Zealand, Broad was responding to a question about his own role as vice-captain that he held over the summer of 2022 but pivoted to heap praise on England’s No.3.
“I think Popey is a great leader in the group actually,” said Broad.
“He’s grown so much in the last year. The way he operates, the confidence and responsibility he’s been given. He speaks really well in the group, he’s got a great cricket mind. There’s no doubt you can see him as a future England captain.
“He's been probably the most impressive growing cricketer in the group that I've seen over the last year. From where his confidence was to where he is now. How Popey has grown as a character is very impressive.”
Pope has filled in for Ben Stokes as captain on two occasions, including earlier this week as he led England out in their warm-up match against a New Zealand XI. Similarly, ahead of the Pakistan series in December, Pope captained England in the warm-up game against the England Lions.
The Surrey player has captained his county on just one occasion at the end of the 2021 season and has had a fantastic year after finding himself out of the team in early 2022.
A move to No3 in the order has reaped rewards as Pope averages 40.82 in the 10 matches since the change, compared to an average of 28.66 in the 23 that came before that.
“Cheers Broady!” Pope laughed when Broad’s comments were put to him. “I don’t necessarily see that [being England captain]. I’m going to keep developing my cricket brain. If that opportunity came up in the future I’ll make sure I can learn as much as possible before then.
“But at the same time I realise I’ve got a big job at No3 to keep doing. If I can keep impressing there who knows what the future holds. But I’ll keep learning and developing as an all-round cricketer as much as I can. If that happens, great. If not, that’s okay.”
