England stand-in captain Ollie Pope’s poor form is currently the talk of the town. The hosts have done a commendable job in the series against Sri Lanka, particularly Gus Atkinson and Joe Root but things haven’t gone well for Pope, who has registered 6, 6, 1 and 17 in the four innings so far. Former cricketer Michael Vaughan called him ‘insecure’ and there were question marks on his shot selections and whether or not the weightage of captaincy is affecting his form.
After England’s 190-run win in the second Test in Lord’s, Pope addressed all the criticism and stated that he hopes to improve and play better at Oval, which is also his home ground. He noted that cricket always has ups and downs, but he aims to put everything together and learn from previous mistakes to get going in the third Test, slated to begin on September 6.
“I'm not going to hide behind the fact that I've had two poor games with the bat. That's the way cricket is sometimes and form comes and goes. But I think the best players are the ones who can draw a line under it and have a fresh start next week. Hopefully, I can put a score together,” Pope was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
“The last two games I've had, they're learning games for me. It definitely is something that I'm still trying to improve in my game, and obviously the way that I start my innings especially is something that I want to keep on improving - and then when I do get in, it's trying to cash in as well,” he added.
When you're captain as well, you're going to attract a lot more criticism: Pope
Before the start of the series, Pope was hailed as one for the future. However, the tables have turned now but Pope isn’t very surprised. He stated that captaincy brings more criticism and that he blocks negative opinions and stays close to people who trust in his ability to bounce back and score runs for England again.
“I'm not surprised. Chatting to Stokesy before this series, when you're captain as well, you're going to attract a lot more [criticism]. To be honest, it is just important to block it out and keep staying close with the people around you. There's a lot of voices, a lot of guys who want to have their say - some past cricketers as well - and that's completely fine.
“Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but it's important for us as a team and me to stay and keep trusting the people in the four walls, because that's not going to help me get back into my best for,” Pope said.
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