Ollie Pope says he must find a way to park the responsibilities of Test captaincy and focus on being England’s No3 as he looks to get back amongst the runs at Lord’s this week.
Pope is deputising for injured skipper Ben Stokes during the three-match series against Sri Lanka and got his tenure off to a winning start with a five-wicket victory at Old Trafford last week.
However, the Surrey batter made just 12 runs across the two innings, with his dismissal reverse-sweeping Prabath Jayasuriya during England’s chase particularly tame.
Pope went into the First Test having only previously captained one first-class game for Surrey and admitted the job gave the occasion “a slightly different feel… almost like that debut feeling again”.
Speaking ahead of the Second Test in north London, he revealed he has sought the advice of Stokes’s predecessor Joe Root, who enjoyed some of the most prolific run-scoring streaks of his career while juggling the captaincy, often as a fragile batting lineup folded around him.
“The first [Test] was probably a bit of learning for me on how to manage the two things separately,” Pope said. “I really enjoyed the week. The runs didn't translate for me but hopefully over the next two weeks, I can put aside my captaining when it's time to bat, focus on my batting and then score some good runs.
“[Root and I] just spoke about how it’s more taxing in the field, but it’s finding a little routine and doing small things. It’s nothing massive, but finding a way once you do get your pads on to get into your old routine of how you go out and bat. It’s just making sure that I keep doing what has brought me success over the last couple of years and having that on repeat.”
Stokes has been ruled out for the rest of the home summer after tearing his hamstring during the Hundred, but has been back batting in nets at Lord’s this week in a clear sign he is on track to be fit in time for the autumn tours of Pakistan and New Zealand.
“He’s still a fair way off playing, he’s not trying to play as a batter and first slip just yet,” Pope said. “Injuries are never ideal but they’re also great chances for people to keep improving their game and a have a bit of time for reflection and think about what they can work on.
“I’m sure that’s exactly what he’s doing in the nets. Going into that Pakistan series and then New Zealand he’s going to be as fresh as anyone.”
With Mark Wood joining Stokes and Zak Crawley on the injury list, there has been further renewal to a Test side already refreshed at the start of the summer, when Ben Foakes and Jonny Bairstow were dropped for Jamie Smith and James Anderson pushed into retirement.
Of the XI that will play at Lord’s this week, only four players remain from the side that featured against Australia in the Fifth Ashes Test last summer, which Pope himself missed because of a dislocated shoulder.
However, the 26-year-old says the maturity England showed in their chase at Old Trafford - where they took 57.2 overs to reach a target of 205 - is proof that the team’s refinement extends beyond personnel.
“With what Brendon [McCullum, the head coach] did leading into this summer, he made some brutal changes that he saw will take the team into a better place going forward,” Pope said.
“We don't use the term ‘Bazball’, but we played a different style of cricket and that's something that can keep taking us forward as a team. When we can be ruthless, we've got to try and be ruthless just to win as many games as possible. Other days, we'll score a little bit more freely and take the wickets in a shorter amount of time.”
