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Pope Accepts England’s Leadership Shift as Brook Takes Ashes Vice-Captaincy

Ollie Pope insists he has full respect for England’s decision to hand the Ashes vice-captaincy to Harry Brook, marking the end of a three-year run as Ben Stokes’ deputy. Pope, who has assumed the captain’s duties on five occasions—including England’s most recent Test against India in July—learned of the change when the squad for the tour of Australia was finalised in September.

Rob Key, England’s director of cricket, defended the move by highlighting Brook’s growing leadership profile, having already taken charge of both the ODI and T20 sides during the summer. For Pope, the adjustment comes without resentment. “If they believe this is what’s best for the team moving forward, especially with Brook leading in the white-ball formats, then I fully respect that,” he said.

The 27-year-old has offered the perfect response on the field, compiling scores of 100 and 90 in England’s sole warm-up fixture against the Lions at Lilac Hill in Perth—his first competitive outing since the County Championship concluded two months ago. His performances provided a timely reminder of his ability following an inconsistent summer that saw him score back-to-back centuries against Zimbabwe and India before managing just one fifty in his next eight Test innings.

Pope confirmed he has been refining “a couple of technical elements” in his game, though he opted to keep specifics private. What mattered most in Perth, however, was time in the middle—a point he stressed amid ongoing scrutiny over England’s limited preparation ahead of the Ashes opener at Optus Stadium on Friday.

His strong showing has all but secured his place at No.3, especially as Jacob Bethell—who has been competing for the role since making his debut last year—struggled for rhythm before producing a late 70 in the second innings of the warm-up match. The selection debate is familiar territory for Pope, who has often found his position under question, particularly during last year’s intense head-to-head with Bethell. He referenced his pivotal century against India at Headingley as evidence that he thrives under pressure.

Pope is among six players in the 16-man squad returning to Australia, where four years ago he was dropped after the opening two Tests before recalling him for the final match of a 4-0 defeat. Now older, more experienced, and seemingly more assured, he believes the internal competition has pushed him to continue evolving. “Someone is always on your heels in international cricket if you’re not scoring the runs you want,” he said. “But as long as I keep improving with every series, that’s all I can ask of myself.”

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