Stuart Broad has thrown his support behind Ollie Pope as a future captain of the England Test side.
The expansive all rounder and captain Ben Stokes has been without a deputy since taking over from Joe Root, but fast bowler Broad was primed as a short-term stand-in if needed last summer. In recent months Pope, 25, has taken on a more accountable role in the red-ball sphere, assuming the reins when Stokes sat out the two-day warm-up against a New Zealand XI in Hamilton.
This follows Pope taking on a similar role against the England Lions in Abu Dhabi at the end of last year, and he has become an influential figure in the changing room. As a result, Broad would be more than happy to see him shine as future skipper of the team. "I think Popey is a great leader," the veteran told Sky Sports.
"He speaks really well in the group, he's got a great cricket mind and there's no doubt you can see him as a future England captain. He's grown so much in the last year, in the way he operates, the confidence and responsibility he's been given. He speaks really well in the group and he's got a great cricket mind."
Pope was also on standby to lead the team in Rawalpindi in December when illness struck the England camp, including captain Stokes, before the opening match of the Pakistan series. The Surrey star was initially more cautious but has since admitted to relishing the opportunities he has had to step up and praised coach Brendon McCullum and Stokes for allowing him to do so. "For now there's no title on it - I'm just going to keep helping out where I can," Pope told BBC Sport.
"There's no label on it, but it might be an option they are looking at in the future. It's just good to be seen as a leader in that dressing room. Stokesy is the captain, he knows exactly how he wants to run it, but he comes up and bounces ideas off me sometimes, and he'll do the same with some of the really experienced guys in the changing room too.
"Baz (Brendon) McCullum and Stokesy have been great. They've allowed us young players to grow and I think each one of us feel like it's our team now.” He added: "I'm just going to keep developing that cricket brain and if it came about in the future, great, I'll make sure I learn as much as possible before then.
“At the same time I realise I've got a big job at number three to keep doing. If I can keep impressing there, who knows what the future holds?"
England will begin their two-match Test series in New Zealand next Thursday at Mount Maunganui, and Pope says the side cannot wait to get on the field. "We're all 100% ready," he declared. "If the Test was tomorrow we'd be raring to go."
The Barmy Army, still buoyed by their series win in Pakistan at the end of 2022, are aiming to win their first series in New Zealand for 15 years. However, their preparations may be disrupted by Cyclone Gabrielle, which is set to affect northern New Zealand in the coming days.
