England v Sri Lanka: Ollie Pope wants to ‘reward’ his side with runs

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England v Sri Lanka: Ollie Pope wants to ‘reward’ his side with runs

And Pope, who averages 34.64 from his 47 Tests, has sought the advice of Joe Root on combining the twin roles of captaincy and batting.

Root, 33, led England in a record 64 Tests before he was replaced by Stokes in 2022. He averaged 46.44 with the bat as skipper, going through an incredible patch of form towards the end of his tenure, even though his team’s results were deteriorating.

“It’s nothing massive, but it’s about finding a way to get into your old routine of how you go out and bat,” said Pope.

“It’s just making sure that I keep doing what has brought success over the last couple of years and having that on repeat. It’s just finding a way to compartmentalise.

“Chatting to Rooty, he’s obviously got a great cricket brain and is England’s best batter so we just bounce a few ideas off each other.”

England’s Test side has undergone significant upheaval over the past year. With injuries to Stokes, opener Zak Crawley and pace bowler Mark Wood, only four of the side that played in the final Ashes Test against Australia will line up at Lord’s on Thursday.

The latest change is a recall for Olly Stone to play his first Test in more than years in place of Wood, who has been ruled out of the rest of the series with a hamstring injury.

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