In a bygone era, the three-initial, public-school-educated Oliver John Douglas-Pope might have seemed destined to one day captain the England Test team.
But in a sign of the times, Ben Stokes’ appointment, informally at first and then formally as vice-captain from May last year, has been one to approach the Surrey-born batsman and nurture the skills he has spotted in him.
Pope may not have expected to immediately take charge for this summer’s three-Test series against Sri Lanka, which began in Manchester on Wednesday, but Stokes has always felt the 26-year-old was the perfect choice to continue to drive a philosophy of attacking cricket.
“There’s a reason we appointed him vice-captain,” said Stokes, who is out for the rest of the summer with a hamstring injury. Sky Sports“I think he has a great feel for the game and we think very similarly scheme-wise.”
“I always felt like when he came to me, it was something that was already in the back of my mind.
“He was the obvious choice for captaincy and I think he has grown into the third position role and taken to a new level as a leader by taking on the vice-captain role.”
The fortunes of stand-in captains are not always happy – just ask Chris Cowdrey or Mark Butcher about their experiences in the job – but Pope could hardly have imagined his opening day at the Emirates Old Trafford would go so well, especially after losing the toss.
Use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Chris Woakes talks about his success on the first day of the Test match against Sri Lanka and how poor lighting played a role in his team’s difficulties fending off the opposition’s attacks.
He was extremely pleased that opposing batsman Dhananjaya de Silva decided to bat first despite the bright sunshine, and was even happier when Sri Lanka were pushed to 3 for 6 in the seventh innings and 92 for 6 soon after lunch.
But the batting of the Sri Lankan captain, who top-scored with 74, and newcomer Milan Rathnayake, who batted at No. 9 on his Test debut, smashed 72, posed Pope’s biggest test and the pair fought doggedly in the second half of the afternoon session, making it tough for England on the field.
Poor weather conditions meant that spin balls had to be bowled from both sides and the inclusion of Joe Root in the attack along with Shoaib Basir forced the new captain to think differently, but he juggled all these issues to help Sri Lanka eventually get bowled out for 236 towards the end of the day and help England reach 22 for no runs.
Pope has previously said he intends to continue doing things in the same way that has worked for Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum over the past two years, but manager Mel Jones expects there will still be times when he will have to rely on Pope’s own experience.
Use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Ollie Pope says it will be an “honour” to captain England for the series against Sri Lanka following Ben Stokes’ injury at The Hundred.
“He said several times that it’s the same message, just delivered in a different way,” Jones said. Sky Sports.
“For Ollie Pope, there will have been a moment where he thought: ‘Maybe I should give this a go’ and then he’ll think: ‘No, that’s probably not the way we want to do it’.”
“The biggest challenge will be to follow the instincts I’ve got from my match experience and my time with England.”
“That’ll be a conversation piece with Ben and Buzz. [McCullum] When he leaves, he’ll talk about how he did it all.”
Use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
England batsman Dan Lawrence said the game plan for the match against Sri Lanka will remain the same with stand-in captain Ollie Pope taking charge of the team in the absence of the injured Ben Stokes.
But as any good captain knows, it’s not just about yourself, it’s also about how you work with other senior members of the team to keep the message consistent both in the dressing room and on the field.
Manager Nasser Hussain played alongside Pope on several occasions before and during his 45 Test matches as England captain and has little doubt that the player has adapted well to the role he has been groomed to play.
Not only that, he believes the experience will be crucial for Pope and the team’s long-term development if he one day succeeds Stokes at the helm permanently.
“We need a leader in the dressing room who is not the captain,” Hussain said. Sky Sports“We dedicate today to Graham Thorpe. He was a leader even without the armband on. Chris Woakes is like him, he’s also a leader.”
Use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Joe Root said Ollie Pope’s captaincy for England in the Test series against Sri Lanka will be important for the team’s evolution.
“The first job is to win the games in front of us but this summer it’s all about winning six Test matches and then looking to the future.
“We’ll have to see if Ollie Pope is comfortable in it.”
Stokes has remained in camp in Pope’s absence but is determined to empower Pope to do the job his way, rather than worrying about his own judgement with his captain watching from the sidelines.
Woakes, who was man of the match among England’s bowlers with figures of 3-32 in Sri Lanka’s first innings, impressed with how comfortable he was in the top position after earning the respect of his teammates as vice-captain.
Ollie Pope discusses plans with Gus Atkinson on the first day of the first Test
“He’s playing well,” Walks said. “He doesn’t want to be Ben. He wants to do it his way. That’s great.”
“He’s done a really good job as co-captain while he and Ben are on the court and they talk to each other all the time.
“He’ll probably just naturally pick up on what Ben does, but I wouldn’t say he was anything different. He was just being himself.”
“He was certainly focused, communicating with the bowlers, talking about fielding, but at the same time he was pretty calm, which was great.”
Watch the first match between England and Sri Lanka live from Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event Thursday 10:15am (1st ball at 11am)
Sky Sports+ has officially launched Sky TVstreaming services now The Sky Sports app will also allow Sky Sports customers to watch over 50% more live sport this year, at no extra cost. Find out more here.
