Ollie Pope has sought advice from Joe Root on managing the dual responsibilities of batting and captaincy following his challenging debut as interim England captain against Sri Lanka. Pope, filling in for the injured Ben Stokes in the first of three matches, guided England to a five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka at Old Trafford, putting them 1-0 ahead with two Tests remaining. However, the number three batsman was dismissed for six twice in Manchester, including a poorly executed reverse sweep. With Stokes sidelined, England still boasts star batsman Root, who captained the team in a record 64 Tests from 2017-2022, scoring 14 centuries during his tenure, often with the team struggling. As England prepares for the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's starting Thursday, it's unsurprising that Pope has sought Root's counsel on balancing his roles as both a batsman and captain.
"I thoroughly enjoyed the week," Pope said at a pre-match press conference at Lord's on Wednesday. "The runs didn't come for me, but hopefully, in the next two weeks, I can set aside my captaincy duties when it's time to bat and concentrate on my batting." Pope emphasized the need to separate the two roles, a topic he discussed with Root. "We talked about how it's more demanding on the field but finding a routine and doing small things," he added. "It's about finding a way to compartmentalize. Talking to Rooty, he's got a fantastic cricket mind and is England's top batter, so we exchanged a few ideas."
Since Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum teamed up, England has adopted an aggressive batting approach. However, Root demonstrated that there are multiple ways to win, anchoring England's successful chase of 205 against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford with an unbeaten 62 off 128 balls, featuring just two boundaries on a slow pitch. "We don't use the term 'Bazball' but we played a different style of cricket (at Old Trafford) and that's something that can keep pushing us forward as a team," Pope said. "When we can be ruthless, we've got to try and be ruthless to win as many games as possible," the 26-year-old Surrey batsman added.
Stokes has been practicing in the nets but is not yet ready to return to competitive play after suffering a hamstring tear earlier this month in The Hundred. However, Pope, whose England side for the second Test shows only one change with Olly Stone replacing the injured Mark Wood, believes Stokes will be fit for the post-season tours of Pakistan and New Zealand. "Injuries are never ideal but they're also great opportunities for people to improve their game and have some time for reflection and think about what they can work on," Pope said. "I'm sure that's exactly what he's doing in the nets. Going into that Pakistan series and then New Zealand he's going to be as fresh as anyone."
