ENG vs SL: Will Brendon McCullum be able to create magic with Ollie Pope in Ben Stokes' absence? Ollie Pope to fill in for Ben Stokes as England Captain against Sri Lanka.
England’s Bazball won’t be the same when they take on Sri Lanka in the first Test at Manchester on August 21. Captain Ben Stokes, who has been leading England’s aggressive style of Test cricket, will miss the first Test due to a hamstring injury he picked up during his stint in the Hundred.
However, Stokes will still be in the dressing room to provide his leadership input. Ollie Pope will lead the team in the first Test as coach Brendon McCullum watches from the sidelines. Will Pope and McCullum be able to create the same magic that Stokes and McCullum did?
Pope’s captaincy experience
Although Pope has been the deputy skipper, he has little experience leading teams across levels. He has led in a few warm-up games for England and a few matches for Surrey. Nevertheless, Pope will have the services of McCullum to plot dismissals, make attacking field placements, and play counter-attacking games while batting. It will be a tough test for Captain Pope.
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Keys Areas to look for Ollie Pope
Stick to Bazball
Ollie Pope has big shoes to fill. He has to ensure the team plays the attacking brand of cricket, a signature feature of England’s usual captain-coach pair. He has to motivate his teammates to keep believing in Bazball, which has yielded them great success at home. Pope should not get bogged down if the opposition nullifies their Bazball approach and overturns the tables. He has to ensure shoulders do not drop while each of his teammates plays according to England’s signature strategy, Bazball.
Captain’s contribution is vital
Pope has been one of the best English batters in the last few seasons. In his important match as skipper, Pope has to ensure he walks the talk by playing aggressive cricket. He need not look long back. In the lone Test win against India away early this year, Pope played the innings of his life when he smashed 196 against India at No 3 in the Hyderabad Test. His contributions helped them win a match that seemed lost after a point. If Pope can score runs, half of his battle to get players to listen and respond to him will be resolved.
Replacing Stokes
England have already announced their XI. However, it is tough to replace an all-rounder like Stokes. England, however, have opted for a pacer in Matthew Potts to replace Stokes. The XI makes a four-pronged pace attack in Potts, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, and Gus Robinson. However, England might miss the services of Stokes, the batter. Therefore, they have pushed keeper Jamie Smith at No. 6, followed by the bowlers. It would be tough to fill in Stokes’ shoes, and that’s the biggest question the Pope-McCullum pair has to work on.
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