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Ollie Pope intends to switch off as England captain when he is batting at Lord’s this week after struggling to juggle the dual demands in his first Test deputising for the injured Ben Stokes.
With Stokes out of the three-match series against Sri Lanka because of a hamstring tear he suffered in The Hundred, Pope is in charge and oversaw a five-wicket victory at Emirates Old Trafford last week.
The experience was not without its drawbacks as Pope was twice dismissed for six and he reflected that his leadership duties were still weighing heavy on him when he went out to bat at number three.
“One of the things I can improve on this week and the next is making sure you don’t do that,” Pope said ahead of the second Test which starts on Thursday.
“You walk off the pitch and, when you’re batting three, you get your pads straight on and you know you could be in whenever.
“That’s probably the main thing – not thinking about all the decisions you just made on the pitch, just thinking ‘right, now it’s time to bat’. You can reflect on (the day) at the end of the day’s play.”
Pope, whose 40-plus average under Stokes is up from a career 34.64, has sought out the wisdom of former England Test captain Joe Root in an attempt to separate batting from leadership responsibilities.
Root, Stokes’ immediate predecessor, averaged 46.44 during his tenure from 2017-2022 – with 14 centuries in 64 Tests – and the Yorkshireman was frequently England’s batting linchpin in an under-performing side.
“We just spoke about how it’s more taxing in the field but it’s finding a little routine and doing small things,” Pope said.
“It’s just making sure that I keep doing what has brought success over the last couple of years and having that on repeat. It’s just finding a way to compartmentalise.
“Chatting to Rooty, he’s obviously got a great cricket brain and is England’s best batter, so we just bounced a few ideas off each other.”
Olly Stone is set for his fourth Test appearance and first since June 2021 this week, with Mark Wood joining fellow regulars Stokes and Zak Crawley on the injured list for the remainder of the series.
Despite James Anderson being eased into retirement and Jamie Smith ousting both Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes as wicketkeeper, England are four from four this summer and targeting a clean sweep of wins.
Chatting to Rooty, he's obviously got a great cricket brain and is England's best batter, so we just bounced a few ideas off each other— Ollie Pope
While the axis of Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum has been typified by aggressive batting, England showed another string to their bow in Manchester by chasing 205 in a more sedate 57.2 overs.
“With what Brendon did leading into this summer, he made some brutal changes that he (thinks) will take the team into a better place going forward,” Pope said.
“We don’t use the term Bazball but we played a different style of cricket (at Old Trafford) and that’s something that can keep taking us forward as a team.
“When we can be ruthless, we’ve got to try and be ruthless just to win as many games as possible. Other days, we’ll score a little bit more freely and take the wickets in a shorter amount of time.”
Stokes has been batting in the Lord’s nets ahead of the second Test and Pope believes the talismanic all-rounder will be firing on all cylinders for this winter’s tours of Pakistan and New Zealand.
“He wishes he was out there but it’s a good sign going forward,” Pope added. “He’s still a fair way off playing, he’s not trying to play as a batter and first slip just yet.
“Injuries are never ideal but they’re also great chances for people to keep improving their game and a have a bit of time for reflection and think about what they can work on.
“I’m sure that’s exactly what he’s doing in the nets. Going into that Pakistan series and then New Zealand he’s going to be as fresh as anyone.”
