Vaughan believes Pope is an insecure leader

Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, has voiced his opinion on stand-in skipper Ollie Pope, expressing he would welcome the opportunity to be proven wrong about Pope's leadership abilities. However, Vaughan maintains that he perceives Pope as an insecure leader. During England's 190-run victory over Sri Lanka at Lord's, Pope scored just one and 17 runs, leading to scrutiny over his performance; he has only managed 30 runs in four innings throughout the series. Concerns have been raised about Pope's fidgetiness at the crease, and criticism of his leadership skills has grown.

Although Pope demonstrated effective bowler rotation and created inventive field placements, he also faced the setback of eight unsuccessful reviews, raising questions about whether the captaincy was weighing him down.

"Ollie Pope is an ideal vice-captain for England. He complements Ben Stokes perfectly, training hard and being a true team player capable of providing tactical advice when needed while thriving in a supportive role. However, he is better suited to the vice-captain role than being elevated to the captaincy," Vaughan wrote in his column for The Telegraph.

"I would be pleased to be proven wrong about Pope. Yet, he seems a bit insecure. While I understand why he was given the vice-captaincy to bolster his confidence, the captaincy at this point in his career was unnecessary. The focus on Pope's leadership will likely fade once Stokes returns from Pakistan."

Vaughan noted Pope's unsettled demeanour when batting at number three for England, stating, "Not every vice-captain is destined to become a captain. Some captains, myself included, thrive on leadership. I wanted to make decisions rather than play the strategist in the background."

"I hope Pope can overcome his current slump in form and rediscover his rhythm. Ultimately, his batting should take precedence, especially as his captaincy is likely to be temporary," he added.

"By assigning Pope the captaincy now, England has placed undue pressure on him at a time when he was starting to figure out his role at No. 3, having performed well against West Indies earlier in the summer, only to now be thrust into captaincy."

Vaughan also expressed his belief that Harry Brook should be cultivated as England's next Test captain, proposing that if necessary, Joe Root could step in for an interim leadership role. "Looking ahead, Harry Brook seems like a more suitable captain for this team; his approach naturally positions him as a successor to Stokes."

"If there’s another interim period while Stokes is injured, what would be wrong with temporarily handing the captaincy back to Joe Root? It wouldn't be a step backwards; he would simply be managing a series, knowing Stokes will return, and Stokes will still be present in the dressing room."