'Pope's challenge is to find calm at the crease'

I person an tremendous magnitude of clip for Ollie Pope.

I first sewage to cognize him connected England's circuit of New Zealand successful 2019. Joe Root, past nan captain, arranged immoderate evenings for erstwhile England players, raising money for charity.

One was a quiz nighttime and Pope was skipper of my team. I person called him "skipper" ever since and present he is captaining England. He is very chatty, very polite, ever pinch thing to say. Put simply, he's a really bully guy.

The domiciled of a vice-captain, successful immoderate team, is an absorbing one. Often that subordinate is simply a foil to nan captain, a different benignant of characteristic truthful nan 2 bounce disconnected and complement each other. Sometimes nan vice-captain is nan 1 nan players confide in, aliases activity accusation from.

The vice isn't ever nan correct man to beryllium nan adjacent captain, either. Just because personification is simply a bully vice-captain, that doesn't needfully make them a awesome leader. Marcus Trescothick was really Nasser Hussain's vice-captain earlier Michael Vaughan took connected nan captaincy, and England made perfectly nan correct determination successful promoting Vaughan.

For Pope, nan move to make him vice-captain to Stokes followed their caller history of succession readying astir a young batter. Until Harry Brook came along, Pope seemed nailed connected to beryllium England's adjacent Test captain, but it's astir apt not arsenic straightforward now.

Still, erstwhile Stokes' hamstring wounded ruled him retired of this Sri Lanka series, England were correct to move to Pope.

As a leader, he has done a good job. In some Tests, astatine Old Trafford and Lord's, location person been times erstwhile nan conditions were benign, batters group and nan bowlers successful request of inspiration. Pope has had to deliberation difficult to travel up pinch plans to find wickets. He tin do nary much than person 2 wins from 2 Tests, albeit if a 100% nonaccomplishment complaint pinch nan DRS strategy needs immoderate work.

Inevitably, a caller captain's capacity pinch bat aliases shot will besides travel nether scrutiny. You are still successful nan squad to people runs aliases return wickets and, often, a skipper will acquisition a spike successful their output.

That has not been nan lawsuit for Pope, who has contributed conscionable 30 runs successful his 4 innings arsenic captain. The problem for Pope is not nan deficiency of runs, but nan measurement he has been getting retired and really he has looked astatine nan crease, neither of which person been different to really he batted earlier nan captaincy came along.

Pope's position astatine number 3 is suited to a calm characteristic because of nan scope of different situations a subordinate tin find themselves in.

Pope, though, does not springiness disconnected that emotion of calmness. Everything seems jittery, frantic and rushed.

At this point, I should opportunity that nan crippled is littered pinch tons of successful players who arrived astatine nan crease arsenic a shot of energy. Kevin Pietersen was celebrated for a 'Red Bull run' astatine nan commencement of his innings and, backmost erstwhile I was playing, Derek Randall would travel to nan mediate chatting away. As a bowler, I was ever told not to opportunity thing to Derek, because a speech would calm him down.

Pope's situation is to find that serenity. Can he play his first 20 deliveries happy successful his ain mind that nan bowler mightiness beryllium connected top? Can he springiness himself nan chance to get group astatine nan crease?

When he does, we cognize he is tin of playing match-winning innings. His 196 successful nan first Test against India successful Hyderabad earlier this twelvemonth was 1 of nan top knocks ever by an England subordinate overseas.

England will beryllium diligent pinch him. He is skipper for nan last Test astatine nan Oval and erstwhile he returns to nan ranks I would beryllium stunned if he does not get each of nan 3 Tests successful Pakistan and 3 successful New Zealand earlier Christmas to find his champion form. They will beryllium hopeless for him to succeed.

In looking for that calmness, Pope tin do nary amended than nan man adjacent to him successful nan batting order.

At Lord's, Root scored his 33rd and 34th Test hundreds, surpassing my Test Match Special workfellow Sir Alastair Cook arsenic nan man pinch nan astir hundreds of years for England.

It is incredibly difficult to comparison players from different eras, but Root's numbers speak for themselves. He is perfectly outstanding successful each facet of batting: beforehand foot, backmost foot, pace, spin. He really does person each guidelines covered.

As acold arsenic nan summertime is concerned, everything has gone to scheme for England, pinch nan objection of nan wounded to Stokes.

They person 5 wins from 5 Tests and nan opportunity for nan cleanable expanse successful nan last lucifer of nan bid against Sri Lanka astatine nan Oval adjacent week – they haven't gone done a summertime winning each Test since 2004.

I expect them to do conscionable that. I can't spot thing different than an England win.