Ashes 2025: Do England need a stronger vice-captain just three months before the series?
Ben Stokes is a vital member of the England Test side. He brings the balance to the eleven with his all-round performance with both bat and ball. Moreover, the veteran has also got a strong and risk-free mindset, known as Bazball, on the side to develop their red-ball numbers over the last three years. Under him, they can beat anyone. But when he is not fit, they can get beaten by anyone and everyone.
That has been a nasty issue. When Stokes was the captain in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, the home side won the tight moments. At the Kennington Oval, one could feel his absence. It felt like the soul of a side had been taken out. And that’s not good news for someone who is injury-prone.
Michael Vaughan raises question on Ollie Pope’s promotion to captaincy in Ben Stokes’ absence
The mentality of the England side remains crystal clear and firm when Stokes is in the side. But he doesn’t have the same impact sitting in the balcony with head coach Brendon McCullum. Ollie Pope, who got promoted to lead the side in Stokes’ absence, looked confused on many occasions at the Oval.
The former England captain, Michael Vaughan, during a recent podcast on Stick to Cricket, dropped the same view. He compared Pope to Marcus Trescothick and felt that even though they are great vice-captains, neither of them qualifies for leadership. Vaughan wants to see Harry Brook taking charge of the side in Stokes’ potential injury-absence during the Ashes 2025/26 down under.
“I am thinking about cricket. And we always talk about great captains. We don’t talk about some of the best vice-captains. (Marcus) Trescothick was the best vice-captain. I think Ollie Pope is a brilliantvice-captain, but he is not a captain. By giving him the captaincy, I can see it a mile off. He is not a natural leader out there in the middle.” The Manchester-born said on the Stick to Cricket podcast.
“I saw that last year against Sri Lanka, and I have seen that this week. For say, we get to Perth, and anything can happen with Ben, fingers crossed, but if somehow Ben can’t play, I can’t have Ollie Pope walking out as skipper. But I can have Harry Brook, because he is a natural leader.” Vaughan suggested.
The schedule of the Ashes 2025/26 could be tricky for Stokes to go through the entire series injury-free. The last three fixtures in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney are in three successive weeks. That’s where the management will need to think out of the box.
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Should Harry Brook become England’s Test captain in Ben Stokes’ absence
Under Stokes, England have earned 22 Test victories in 37 fixtures at a winning rate of nearly 60%. He has faced 13 defeats in the red-ball encounters with only two drawn results in Manchester. Meanwhile, Pope has captained them in five Tests, winning three. Both defeats have come at the Oval against Sri Lanka and India in successive home summers.
Harry Brook is yet to lead them in the longest format. However, in white-ball formats, the Yorkshire-born has captained them in 11 games for eight victories at a winning rate of 72.72%. Pope has struggled with the bat with leadership as his average drops below 27.
Brook has been aggressive for England in the five-day format. The best ability of the right-handed batter is to release pressure with some cracking shots. Since his debut, he is the second leading red-ball run-getter with 2820 runs in 50 innings at an average of 57.55. He has also smashed 13 half-centuries and 10 centuries at the best score of 317 runs.
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Brook doesn’t play a lot in the first-class format. Whenever he does, he doesn’t get exposed to leadership. So, there is no guarantee of how he would perform under the captaincy pressure.
Leadership in Test matches is quite different. The cameras are always on the captain whenever a partnership is formed. Whenever a decision to choose a bowler goes wrong, the entire media goes against the captain. And then comes the fourth innings chases, when the eyes always remain on the captain, even if he is a batter.
In Lancashire, during the County Championship games, they had Marcus Harris as the captain. When the Australia batter went back home, they made James Anderson the new captain. But still, they didn’t let the vice-captain get the promotion.
But having said all of these, Brook is an exciting prospect for England. Some players show better performance under pressure. And at a young age, he can continue to be in the role for a long time. But one thing is certain, there will be discussions on this matter before the opening Perth Test in the winter. Pope, after all, doesn’t look to be the right choice.
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