Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, has delivered a surprising critique regarding Ollie Pope’s leadership in the current three-match Test series against Sri Lanka at home. With doubts growing about Pope’s effectiveness as captain, he has come under intense scrutiny. Pope stepped up to lead the England Test team following Ben Stokes’s injury, which has sidelined him for the summer. However, as the stand-in skipper, Pope has struggled with his performance, recording single-figure scores of 6, 6, and 1 in the ongoing series.
Michael Vaughan slams Ollie Pope’s performance as stand-in skipper
On the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, Ollie Pope’s performance was notably lackluster. His ill-advised pull shot, resulting in his dismissal for just one run, drew criticism for being a poor decision from a player who should have displayed greater composure.
Michael Vaughan, with his extensive experience as England’s Test captain, has expressed doubts about Pope’s leadership abilities. He believes that Pope’s current difficulties are compounded by the pressures of captaincy, which seem to be affecting his batting in the ongoing series against Sri Lanka.
Vaughan argued that Pope’s personality and leadership style may not be suited for the England captaincy. He admitted to not favoring Pope as the Test captain. Instead, Vaughan advocates for Harry Brook as a potential future captain, praising Brook’s leadership potential and suggesting he might be a more suitable choice for leading England.
I don’t like Pope as the captain, would love to see Harry Brook in that role: Michael Vaughan
Vaughan told the Test Match Special podcast: “I don’t like him as the captain. He’s not the kind of personality I’d want as the England captain. He’s quite an insecure human being—a great team guy and person—but throwing the captaincy on him has added the pressure. He was doing great at number three. Harry Brook, for me, is an England captain in the making. I don’t see Pope as that person.”
Meanwhile, Ollie Pope, who has a career batting average of 34 across 48 Tests, has struggled significantly in his recent innings, failing to exceed 20 runs in 38% of his matches in the traditional format of the game. However, he has shown a better average of 41.5 while batting at number three.
Vaughan recommends Pope routine and nerve-calming techniques for improvement
Vaughan, who played the number three position for much of his Test career, believes that this crucial spot deserves the most composed player of the team, and at the moment, Pope is not that player.
The commentator also suggested that Pope should focus on developing strategies to manage his nerves before stepping out to bat to improve his performance and stability in this key role.
Vaughan signed off by saying, “He has looked so frantic for such a good player. I’m amazed that with all the psychologists and the backroom staff that England has, they can’t just calm him down a little bit and give him more of an opportunity. Look at Joe Root, who has the most amazing mentality.
He comes out to bat with an amazing routine: he stretches and touches his toes, gets his legs going, and sprints on. I don’t know if I look at Ollie Pope and see a routine or a process.”
