Ollie Pope, the stand-in captain for England, is currently the talk of the town due to his terrible form. Gus Atkinson and Joe Root in particular have performed admirably for the hosts in the series against Sri Lanka, but things haven’t gone well for Pope, who has scored 6, 6, 1, and 17 in the first four innings. He was dubbed “insecure” by former cricketer Michael Vaughan, and there were concerns about his shot choices and whether or not the responsibility of captaincy was hurting his performance.
Pope responded to all the criticism following England’s 190-run victory in the second Test at Lord’s, saying he hoped to get better and perform better at his home ground, Oval. Although he acknowledged that there would always be ups and downs in cricket, his goal is to bring everything together and learn from past errors in order to start the third Test, which is scheduled to start on September 6.
“I won’t run from the truth that I’ve had two subpar at-bat games. That’s the nature of cricket sometimes; form fluctuates. However, I believe that the guys who can move on from it and start over the following week are the best. I’m hoping to put together a score,” Pope was cited as adding.
The past two games I’ve played are educational ones for me. My game is undoubtedly something I’m still working to develop, and I want to keep getting better at it, especially with the way I start my innings. When I do get in, I also want to attempt to cash in,” he continued.
You’ll receive a lot more criticism when you’re captain as well: Ollie Pope
Pope was heralded as one for the future prior to the beginning of the season. But now that things are reversed, Pope isn’t very shocked. He said that being captain attracts greater criticism, but he ignores it and surrounds himself with those who believe he can recover and lead England to victory once more.
“I’m not shocked. Speaking with Stokesy prior to this series, you’ll get a lot more [criticism] as captain as well. Honestly, all you really need to do is ignore it and continue to have strong relationships with those around you. There are many voices and men who would like to express themselves, including former cricket players, and that is all very well.
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Pope stated, “Everyone is free to have their own opinions, but it’s critical for me and my team to stick together and continue to trust the people inside the four walls because doing otherwise will not help me get back to my best for.”
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