Overview

• On the Stick to Cricket podcast, former England captain Michael Vaughan said Ollie Pope excels as vice-captain but lacks the natural authority to lead the Test side.
• Pope was named captain for the fifth Test at The Oval after Ben Stokes was ruled out by a shoulder injury and oversaw a six-run defeat that left the series tied 2-2.
• Vaughan pointed to Harry Brook’s 481 runs at a 53.44 average in the five-Test series and his century at The Oval as evidence of on-field leadership under pressure.
• Brook’s recent appointments as white-ball captain and his consistent run-scoring have bolstered his case to helm England if Stokes remains sidelined.
• With the Ashes set to begin in Australia on November 21, England face urgency in appointing a dependable stand-in skipper amid Stokes’s recurring fitness concerns.