Stand-in England captain Ollie Pope openly acknowledged his recent struggles with the bat, having managed a top score of just 17 in his last five Test innings. Despite guiding England to a series win against Sri Lanka, Pope, 26, has only accumulated 30 runs across the two matches he led.
Pope noted that cricket is often unpredictable, with form fluctuating, and emphasised the importance of moving past rough patches. He expressed hope that he would soon find his rhythm again and contribute more substantially.
Taking on the captaincy role for the first time in Ben Stokes’ absence due to a hamstring injury, Pope had a strong start to the summer against the West Indies, where he scored a century and two half-centuries in three innings. However, his form dipped significantly in the following matches.
In England’s second Test victory over Sri Lanka at Lord’s, where they won by 190 runs, Pope managed scores of just one and 17. Former England captain Michael Vaughan was critical of Pope’s leadership, remarking that he did not see Pope as the ideal choice for captain.
Pope was not taken aback by the criticism, and recognised that the role of captain naturally attracts scrutiny. He shared that discussions with Ben Stokes before the series had prepared him for the added attention, and he focused on staying connected with those close to him while tuning out the noise.
England, after setting Sri Lanka a daunting target of 483, needed eight wickets on the fourth day to clinch the series. They bowled out Sri Lanka for 292 shortly after tea on Sunday, securing their second series win of the summer and their fifth consecutive Test victory.
Pope looked forward to the possibility of winning the final Test at The Oval, which would give England their first perfect home summer since 2004. He remarked that reflecting on a summer of six Test wins would be incredibly satisfying, especially after a challenging winter tour in India. The team’s ability to consistently win back-to-back matches has been a major positive for England.
One of the standout performers of the series has been pace bowler Gus Atkinson, who continued his impressive start to his England career with figures of 5-62 in Sri Lanka’s second innings. Atkinson also scored his maiden Test century in England’s first innings, joining the ranks of Ian Botham and Tony Greig as the only England players to score a century and take five wickets in an innings in the same Test.
Atkinson, 26, acknowledged that his journey in international cricket is just beginning, and that greater challenges lie ahead. He described the intensity of Test cricket as a significant step-up but relished the experience of scoring a century and looked forward to testing himself further.
For Sri Lanka, this defeat marked their seventh consecutive Test loss to England and brought an end to their unbeaten run at Lord’s, which had lasted for five matches since 2002. Captain Dhananjaya de Silva admitted that he had made a mistake by choosing to bowl first after winning the toss.
Dhananjaya explained that he had hoped to ease the pressure on his struggling top order by giving them a break, but the decision backfired. He expressed disappointment at the team’s overall performance but remained confident that they could rebound in the final Test at The Oval.