‘He’s quite an insecure human being’ – Michael Vaughan on why he doesn’t find Ollie Pope captaincy fit for England

Ollie Pope. (Source – ECB)

There were widespread speculations regarding how the English team would cope in the absence of regular Test skipper, Ben Stokes, after he was ruled out of the Sri Lanka Test series due to a hamstring issue he picked during The Hundred 2024. Although England won the first of the three Tests by a comfortable margin, there remains a lingering point of concern in the form of Ollie Pope’s batting performance.

Former English skipper, Michael Vaughan probed into Pope’s dip. Not only that, he also elaborated on who he saw as a more natural captain in the current setup.

Also Read: ‘I learned how I can have my batting and captaincy separate’ – Ollie Pope on performing dual role in Sri Lanka Tests

“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 to the pressure. He was doing great at number three. Harry Brook, for me, is an England captain in the making. I don’t see Ollie Pope as that person,” stated Vaughan on BBC’s Test Match Special.

Vaughan draws comparison to industriousness of Root

Vaughan also expressed his bewilderment on the fact that despite having access to able psychologists and the backroom staff, Pope is unable compose himself. He also compared the work ethic of one of England’s finest red-ball players since a long time, Joe Root, to that of Pope.

“I’m amazed that with all the psychologists and the backroom staff that England have that 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,” added Vaughan.

Also Read: Twitter Reactions: Root’s 33rd ton, Atkinson’s maiden 50 bail England out of trouble at Lord’s

Pope’s slump in form extended to the second Test where he was dismissed for just a single run in the 10 deliveries he faced. He would be poised to put in a shift in England’s second innings and contribute in a much more substantial fashion with the willow from hereon.