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Michael Vaughan, a former captain of England, has expressed his doubts once more on Ollie Pope’s capacity to guide the national cricket squad. Even though Pope led England to victory recently while Ben Stokes was out of the starting lineup, Vaughan is still not satisfied with Pope’s ability to lead.
In 2023, prior to the home series against Ireland, Pope assumed the role of vice captain. The right-hand batter’s time as the team’s leader hasn’t been without difficulties, though. A shoulder injury sidelined him, but he returned to assume his role for the tours of India and the West Indies.
Ollie Pope batting form and leadership qualities have drawn criticism, especially from Vaughan, who thinks the Chelsea native may find it challenging to be vice captain.
“Ollie Pope is the ideal vice-captain for England. Pope is that perfect foil for Ben Stokes. He is a very good guy, trains well, and is a real team man – someone who can give tactical advice when required and is happy in the background. But he is better kept in that role, as vice-captain, than elevated to captain,” Vaughan wrote in a column for the Telegraph.
Vice captains don’t always make captains, according to Michael Vaughan
Vaughan elaborated on his worries, noting that Pope is an exceptional vice-captain but not yet ready for the captaincy. Vaughan likened the relationship between Pope and Stokes to his own experiences as England’s captain with Marcus Trescothick.
“Not every vice-captain is going to make a captain. There are also a lot of captains who cannot be vice-captains, myself included. I wanted to be the leader. I wanted to make the decision. I did not want to be the thoughtful strategist in the background. I would be happy to be proven wrong on Pope. But I think he is a bit insecure. I can see why they gave him the vice-captaincy to give him a boost, but he did not need the captaincy at this stage of his career,” he stated.
The former captain further recommended that England begin preparing Harry Brook to be the red-ball captain, citing The Hundred 2024 as evidence of the young batter’s leadership ability as he guided Northern Superchargers to a fourth-place result.
“Looking ahead, Harry Brook would be a better fit as captain for this side: his whole approach makes him a natural successor to Stokes. But if there is another interim period when Stokes is injured and there are concerns about whether Brook is ready, what is wrong with giving the captaincy to Joe Root? It would not be a backward step,” Vaughan iterated.
However, Vaughan requested that Joe Root take back the captaincy if the circumstances call for an interim captain. Even though Root resigned as captain following a trying time for England, Vaughan thinks Root could offer stability.
“Looking ahead, Harry Brook would be a better fit as captain for this side: his whole approach makes him a natural successor to Stokes. But if there is another interim period when Stokes is injured and there are concerns about whether Brook is ready, what is wrong with giving the captaincy to Joe Root? It would not be a backward step,” he said.
Pope’s performance with the bat has also drawn criticism, as he has only amassed 30 runs in the series against Sri Lanka thus far. Vaughan has asked the child to follow Root’s lead.
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“Pope has the best player England have ever had sitting next to him in the dressing room. He should go and sit with Root and try to work out a process that he can deliver on a day-to-day basis,” the former cricketer said.
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