Former England captain Michael Vaughan The tribune captain made shocking statements about his leadership Ollie Pope in the ongoing three-match Test series against Sri Lanka at home.
Ollie Pope has been facing increasing criticism as doubts have been raised about his suitability for the role. He stepped up to lead England The Test team was ruled out of the summer season after Ben Stokes was injured.
However, the stand-in skipper has struggled with form since taking over the captaincy in the ongoing home series against Sri Lanka, managing just 6, 6 and 1.
Michael Vaughan criticizes Ollie Pope’s performance as skipper
Ollie Pope’s performance on the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s was particularly poor.
The ill-advised pull shot that led to his dismissal for just one run was criticized as a poor decision by a player who should have been more compact.
Michael Vaughan, who has a wealth of experience leading England in 51 Tests, has expressed concern about Ollie Pope’s leadership qualities.
He suggested that Pope’s current struggles are being made worse by the added pressure of captaincy, which has affected his batting performance in the ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka.
The former England captain has claimed that Ollie Pope’s personality and leadership style may not match what is needed for England’s top job and that he does not really like him as Test captain.
Instead, Michael Vaughan is championing Harry Brook as a potential future Test captain, praising his leadership potential and suggesting he could be a more suitable choice to lead England.
I don’t like Pope as a captain, I’d like to see Harry Brooke in this role: Michael Vaughan
Vaughan told the Test Match Special podcast: “I don’t like him as a captain. He is not the personality I want as England captain. He is a very unreliable person – a great team man and person – but throwing the captaincy at him added to the pressure. He was doing great at number three. Harry Brook is a current England captain for me. I don’t see the Pope as that person.”
Meanwhile, Ollie Pope, who averages 34 in 48 Tests, has struggled significantly in his recent innings, failing to cross 20 runs in 38% of his matches in the traditional format of the game. However, he averaged a better 41.5 when hitting No. 3.
Vaughan recommends the Pope routine and calming techniques to improve
Vaughan, who has played at number three for most of his Test career, believes that important position deserves the team’s most compact player, and at the moment Pope is not that player.
The commentator also suggested that Pope should focus on developing strategies to manage his nerves before going to bat to improve his performance and stability in this key role.
Vaughan said, “He looked so crazy for such a good player. I’m amazed that with all the psychs and backroom staff in England they can’t calm him down a bit and give him more of a chance. Look at Joe Root, he’s got the most amazing mentality.
He comes out to bat with an amazing routine: stretches and touches his toes, turns his legs and runs. I don’t know if I see a routine or a process when I watch Ollie Pope.”
