Ollie Pope goes into the first of three games as England’s Test captain, standing in for the injured Ben Stokes for the series against Sri Lanka, saying it is “still Stokesy’s team”. But he also suggested the next few weeks is a chance to prepare for a future without the 33-year-old all-rounder, who is recovering from a torn hamstring.
“We’ll miss Stokesy the captain and Stokesy the all-rounder,” Pope said, “but for us as a team, in the long term, it’s a good opportunity to test ourselves without him.”
