"I would be happy to be proven wrong on Pope" - Michael Vaughan on his comments about the stand-in skipper being unfit to lead England
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has launched a fresh attack on Ollie Pope after his initial criticism where he termed the stand-in captain as an 'insecure human being' and 'unfit to lead'. The side has recorded two wins in a row in the absence of Ben Stokes' leadership, but Pope's leadership ability and dip with the bat have been criticized.
Pope was named England's vice-captain in 2023 ahead of the home series against Ireland. He served as Stokes' deputy in the early stages of the Ashes, before he sustained a shoulder injury. The batter returned to assume his role for the tour of India, and then in the home series against the West Indies as well.
Vaughan stuck to the statements that he said on BBC's Test match special podcast, further adding that the vice-captain role is already tailormade for Pope.
"Ollie Pope is the ideal vice-captain for England. Pope is that perfect foil for Ben Stokes. He is a very good guy, trains well, and is a real team man – someone who can give tactical advice when required and is happy in the background. But he is better kept in that role, as vice-captain, than elevated to captain," Vaughan wrote in his column for The Telegraph.
He cited the relationship that he and Trescothick shared as captain and vice-captain of the team in the past, and hopes that Stokes and Pope share a similar dynamic.
"Not every vice-captain is going to make a captain. There are also a lot of captains who cannot be vice-captains, myself included. I wanted to be the leader. I wanted to be making the decision. I did not want to be the thoughtful strategist in the background," he added.
Michael Vaughan mentioned that his opinion is open to be disproved by Pope, but added that will not be the case because of his insecurity.
"I would be happy to be proven wrong on Pope. But I think he is someone who is a bit insecure. I can see why they gave him the vice-captaincy to give him a boost, but he really did not need the captaincy at this stage of his career," Vaughan wrote.
Ollie Pope has the task of leading the side one more time for the time being, with Stokes expected to return from his injury for the tour of Pakistan.
"Pope has the best player England have ever had sitting next to him in the dressing room" - Vaughan on the stand-in skipper's batting woes
Vaughan reiterated that England should be grooming Harry Brook as the red-ball captain because of his dominant personality. The young batter had the first taste of leadership when he led the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred 2024, and guided them to the fourth place, narrowly missing on the knockouts.
The former skipper, however, floated a left-field opinion where he suggested that Joe Root should be given the captaincy if it is on an interim basis. The ace batter had stepped down from the role after England's successive defeats to Australia and West Indies away from home in 2021-22.
"Looking ahead, Harry Brook would be a better fit as captain for this side: his whole approach makes him a natural successor to Stokes. But if there is another interim period when Stokes is injured and there are concerns about whether Brook is ready, what is wrong with giving the captaincy to Joe Root? It would not be backward step," Vaughan opined.
Vaughan feels that Pope should have a conversation with Joe Root to overcome his horrid run with the bat.
"Pope has the best player England have ever had sitting next to him in the dressing room. He should go and sit with Root and try to work out a process that he can deliver on a day-to-day basis," Vaughan concluded.
Pope has scored 30 runs in the series against Sri Lanka, having recorded double figures only once so far.