I’d be happy to be proven wrong on Ollie Pope’s captaincy: Michael Vaughan

Michael Vaughan

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has once again voiced his concerns about stand-in skipper Ollie Pope’s ability to lead the national cricket team. Despite England’s recent success under Pope’s captaincy in the absence of full-time skipper Ben Stokes, Vaughan remains unsatisfactory with Pope’s leadership potential.

Pope took on the vice-captain responsibility in 2023, ahead of the home series against Ireland. However, the right-hand batter’s stint in the leadership role has not been without challenges. A shoulder injury sidelined him, but he returned to assume his role for the tours of India and the West Indies.

Pope’s leadership abilities and performance with the bat have come under scrutiny, particularly from Vaughan, who believes the vice-captaincy might be difficult for the Chelsea-born.

“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 his column for The Telegraph.

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Not every vice-captain is going to make a captain: Vaughan

Vaughan elaborated on his concerns, emphasizing that Pope is an ideal vice-captain but not yet ready for the captaincy. Vaughan compared the dynamics between Pope and Stokes to his own experience with Marcus Trescothick when he captained England.

“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 added.

The former skipper also suggested that England should start grooming Harry Brook for the red-ball captaincy, pointing out the young batter’s leadership potential showed in The Hundred 2024, where he led Northern Superchargers to a fourth-place finish.

“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, if the situation demands an interim captain, Vaughan asked for Joe Root’s return to the leadership position. Despite Root stepping down from the captaincy after a difficult period for England, Vaughan believes Root could provide 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 continued.

Also read: Michael Vaughan on why he doesn’t find Ollie Pope captaincy fit for England

With only 30 runs in the series against Sri Lanka so far, Pope’s form with the bat has also raised concerns. Vaughan has asked the youngster to take guidance from Root.

“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 ex-cricketer concluded.