England still Stokes' team, says stand-in skipper Pope

Ollie Pope says England are still Ben Stokes’ team, contempt nan batter taking complaint for nan three-Test bid against Sri Lanka.

Regular skipper Stokes misses retired aft injuring his hamstring playing for Northern Superchargers successful The Hundred.

Pope, 26, will go England men’s 82nd Test skipper successful nan first Test astatine Emirates Old Trafford connected Wednesday, but Stokes is remaining pinch nan squad passim nan series.

“He leads america and he’s still successful nan changing room,” Pope told BBC Sport. “It’s awesome to person him around.

“None of nan messages are going to beryllium different, we’re not going to play immoderate differently. I’ll conscionable beryllium getting akin messages across, successful my ain way.”

The England Test captaincy seldom changes hands. Pope will go only nan 5th man to return nan occupation since 2009.

England seldom request stand-ins, either. Only erstwhile successful England’s past 177 Tests has nan regular skipper missed out, erstwhile Joe Root was astatine nan commencement of his 2nd kid successful 2020.

On that juncture Stokes stepped in, pinch Root leaving a statement telling him to “do it your way”.

Surrey’s Pope continued: "That's astir apt nan quality - I've had nary connection successful my locker, but I'm sat adjacent to him successful nan changing room.

“He's going to fto maine spell do my point complete nan people of this series, which is bully for me. At nan aforesaid clip he's evidently going to beryllium watching, truthful I tin person those conversations successful nan intervals if I deliberation thing needs to change. It’s only a affirmative having him around.”

Pope has played 46 Tests and been Stokes’ lawman for almost 2 years. He steps up to lead England contempt only antecedently skippering Surrey successful 1 first-class and 8 T20 matches.

“Having nan vice-captaincy domiciled has fixed maine nan opportunity to get my caput astir it if this opportunity came about,” he said.

“I’ve thought astir it connected nan pitch, watched Stokesy intimately arsenic to really he manages nan bowlers and nan measurement he goes astir it successful nan changing rooms. There are a fewer small bits I’ll return from him. It’s not a monolithic rumor that I haven’t captained a batch successful first-class cricket.”

Along pinch all-rounder Stokes, England are besides missing opener Zak Crawley, who broke a finger connected nan last time of nan 3-0 bid triumph against West Indies past month.

In their absence, Dan Lawrence will unfastened nan batting and Matthew Potts has been named arsenic an other seamer. Harry Brook steps up arsenic Pope’s vice-captain.

England’s past Test astatine Old Trafford, against Australia past summer, was ruined by rain, ending nan location side’s chances of regaining nan Ashes. The forecast this week is mixed for Sri Lanka’s first Test successful this state successful 8 years.

“I've not looked excessively intimately astatine nan upwind because if it rains, it rains, but it's not going to alteration nan measurement we needfully spell astir it,” said Pope.

“A 3-0 triumph is ever nan target. If we tin support playing our champion cricket, for illustration we have, past hopefully we tin look backmost successful 3 aliases 4 weeks and that’s nan extremity result.

"They would person watched us, and really we’ve played successful nan West Indies, and they will beryllium fresh to propulsion immoderate punches themselves. If we tin play our champion cricket, hopefully we tin get that 3-0."