Ollie Pope acknowledges the decision to demote him as England's vice-captain, replacing Harry Brook in the role.
Pope expressed his acceptance of the move, stating that he respects the decision and believes Brook is a better leader for the team going forward. The 27-year-old has been a deputy under Ben Stokes for three years, leading on five occasions including their last Test against India.
In an Ashes warm-up match in Perth, Pope scored 100 and 90 while also acknowledging that Bethell has challenged him for the number three position. Pope said he is used to conversations about his spot and has learned to focus on his game rather than seeking the nod.
Pope expressed his acceptance of the move, stating that he respects the decision and believes Brook is a better leader for the team going forward. The 27-year-old has been a deputy under Ben Stokes for three years, leading on five occasions including their last Test against India.
In an Ashes warm-up match in Perth, Pope scored 100 and 90 while also acknowledging that Bethell has challenged him for the number three position. Pope said he is used to conversations about his spot and has learned to focus on his game rather than seeking the nod.
he's putting the team first and recognizing that brook might be a better fit for captaincy role, which is lowkey awesome! 
and let's be real, pope's got game anyway 
100 & 90 in an ash warm-up match? no sweat 
i'm sure ben stokes would agree with him on this one too 
I think Ollie Pope's a total pro, man 
. He's taking it like a champ 
and showing class by putting team over himself 
And if Harry Brook is the one who can lead them to more wins 
, then Pope's cool with that 
and is ready to back it up with even better numbers 
! Bethell's pushing him hard though, so Pope's got some competition 
, but he's ready to rise to the challenge 
i guess brook's got some skills too tho, maybe england needs a change in leadership 
i'm kinda surprised pope took it so graciously tho, usually you'd see ppl gettin all salty about it 
still, good on him for bein class and focusing on his game rather than gettin upset 
I get that Brook's got some leadership skills and all but can't we keep Pope on at least as a specialist? He's been crushing it for years and now he's being pushed aside because someone else's 'leadership' is considered better. 
And what about the team morale, does no one care about how they're gonna feel about having two new vice-captains like this? Just seems like another example of the team being in flux all the time...
- I mean, Pope has already led on 5 occasions, so he knows how to handle the pressure 
. He was such an important part of the team, not just as vice-captain but also with his batting skills. I mean, who would've thought Ben Stokes would drop him for Harry Brook? That's some serious behind-the-scenes drama going on in the England cricket team 
. Pope seems like a total pro though, he's all about focusing on his game and not getting distracted by what others think of him 
! Can't we just focus on what it means for the team and England's cricketing future? And btw, can someone explain to me why Pope is still getting flak about his spot in the lineup? 
anyway pope's cool with it i guess we can't blame him for not wanting to get too caught up in all the talk about his spot in the lineup haha bettybell's gonna have a field day trying to knock pope out of that #3 position tho lol
. The team is already struggling with their batting lineup, and now they're changing leadership? This could get ugly