Former England skipper Michael Vaughan says Harry Brook, not Ollie Pope, should lead England in Ben Stokes' absence.

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan says Harry Brook, not Ollie Pope, should lead England in Ben Stokes' absence.

At the end of day three of the fifth Test of the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, England were 50-1 with 324 more runs needed to win, a target that may have been substantially smaller had they held on to their chances in the field, and had Chris Woakes not gone off with a dislocated shoulder at the end of day one.

5th Test, England vs India

LIVE
England vs India | India tour of England, 2025 | 5th Test
The Oval, London
Thursday, July 31st, 2025 10:00am (UTC:+0000)
21.84C, Light Rain, 5.59 meter/sec
ENG England
ENG England
247
(51.2) RR: 4.81
204/3
(45.1) RR: 4.52

    vs

    IND India
    IND India
    224
    (69.4) RR: 3.22
    396
    (88.0) RR: 4.50

      The hosts' lineup at The Oval was significantly different to the ones that had played the previous four Tests, with the quick turnaround from Old Trafford forcing changes to the pace attack. This included the unavailability of captain Ben Stokes, who had picked up a shoulder injury in addition to a mild hamstring strain at Old Trafford. In his absence, vice-captain Ollie Pope took over the reins of the side.

      Vaughan: Harry Brook looks a born leader to me

      “The England side with Ben Stokes as a captain, I think they can beat anybody,” said former England captain Michael Vaughan on the BBC's Test Match Specialat the end of the third day. “The England side without Ben Stokes, I think they can lose to anybody. I think he’s that big a player.

      “What they’ve got to be careful of – I’ve said it before – is that sometimes, I look at someone like Ollie Pope who looks a fantastic vice-captain. He’s a brilliant person to have next to the captain and just come up with ideas. And sometimes vice-captains aren’t brilliant captains.

      “You know, Marcus Trescothick was a brilliant vice-captain for me, but you wouldn’t want to give him the captaincy. And I just wonder whether it’s worth England thinking … Harry Brook to me looks a leader. He looks a born leader. We’ve seen him in white-ball cricket. And if Ben Stokes is injured in the future, can’t Ollie just stay as the vice-captain, and Harry Brook gets the leadership role?

      “Look, it’s not Ollie Pope’s fault that England are in this position. It’s certainly not his, it’s the catching that’s let England down. But I just want the best captain who is the best leader, leading the England side.”

      This is not the first time that Vaughan has questioned Pope's captaincy credentials. In August 2024, he labelled Pope “quite an insecure human being”, saying that captaincy was only adding pressure on the player. Even then, Vaughan backed Brook as a better option to lead the team.

      Brook was made England's white-ball captain earlier this year after Jos Buttler stepped down, and had led them against Australia at home last year. He has yet to captain in Test cricket, or indeed in any first-class cricket. Pope led England to three wins in four Tests prior to the ongoing match. His only first-class experience before leading England was one game as captain, for Surrey against Glamorgan in the 2021 County Championship.

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