Nasser Hussain backs Ollie Pope’s temporary captaincy as key experience ahead of Ashes

Nasser Hussain believes Ollie Pope’s appointment as England's stand-in captain could benefit the team, especially with the Ashes in Australia coming up next year. With regular captain Ben Stokes injured, Pope will lead England in the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka.

Speaking on a podcast, former England captains Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton shared their views on Pope’s temporary role. Hussain thinks it’s good for Pope to gain captaincy experience, as it prepares him for any future scenarios where Stokes might be unavailable. He emphasized the importance of having experienced leaders and compared it to having a well-prepared bowling attack for big series like the Ashes.

“I think it’s good for Pope to be captain for three Tests, just in case, Ben Stokes does get injured in the future. They need other options. Just like when they go to Australia, and they don’t want a bowling attack that’s inexperienced.

“You don’t want to get there with someone [leading] who hasn’t done it before.”

However, both Hussain and Atherton acknowledged that Pope faces challenges in his new role. Atherton pointed out that being a temporary captain can be tricky because the team still feels like it belongs to Stokes. He noted that while Pope will make decisions, he’s stepping into someone else’s shoes, which can be awkward.

“Essentially, you’re in a caretaker position. And Ben Stokes has left such a permanent mark on the side, Ollie Pope wouldn’t want to change that.

“While you are captain and you make decisions, it’s someone else’s team. It’s a slightly awkward position for him.”

Hussain added that Pope is still growing into the leadership role. He explained that while Stokes naturally exudes cricketing intelligence, Pope is still working to establish himself as a leader. According to Hussain, Pope’s vice-captaincy and batting position were meant to boost his confidence, but now he must project that belief to the entire team.

“The feeling with Pope is that it doesn’t come naturally, [whereas] the feeling with Stokes is that cricketing intelligence comes very naturally to him. It feels like he [Pope] was given the vice-captaincy to get him out of that shell, the no. 3 position as well, we believe in you, which I think was the right thing to do.

“But the other side of that, when you’re captain. You’ve to sell that belief. Sell yourself to the team, your plans.”

Despite these challenges, both Hussain and Atherton agreed that Pope is a well-liked figure in the team and wished him success.