"A bit of a worrier, a bit of a fretter" - Nasser Hussain on Ollie Pope ahead of his England captaincy debut

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has shared his views on Ollie Pope's potential nature as captain as he prepares to lead the side in the Test series against Sri Lanka. While Hussain feels the Surrey batter comes off as a fretter, he expects him to carry the same formula as Ben Stokes.

The 26-year-old will captain England for the first time, prompted by Stokes' hamstring tear in The Hundred 2024. The all-rounder will miss the entire summer and is raring to be fit for the Pakistan tour in October.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Hussain reckons the relatively "meek" Pope has to put on a bluff while captaining, unlike Stokes, explaining:

"I still see Ollie as a bit meek, a bit of a worrier, a bit of a fretter- you can see that in his batting. So he has to bluff it a little bit. Stokes does not bluff it. But he's been brought up in the school of Stokes and McCullum, so he will just continue the exact form of messaging. He won't be changing a lot."

The cricketer-turned-commentator feels Stokes is a natural leader and has walked the talk. He said:

"I don't think it comes as naturally to him as it does for Ben Stokes. Ben Stokes actually epitomises what he talks about. Eoin Morgan often talks about in white-ball cricket, if you're going to send a message you have to do that message yourself. I think Stokes does that better than Ollie Pope."

Notably, Stokes hasn't missed a Test since becoming England's full-time captain in 2022. Nevertheless, he played with a knee injury for the most part of 2023 and underwent surgery for the same the following year.

"The timing of this doesn't come at a bad time" - Eoin Morgan ahead of England's series against Sri Lanka

Meanwhile, ex white-ball skipper Eoin Morgan believes the presence of Stokes was critical to continue to give the players the messaging of the last two years and the clarity. On this, he told the aforementioned publication:

"I think Ben will be very similarly aligned to me. I stood back, took the drinks. I was there for support. The timing of this doesn't come at a bad time. For two years now, Ben and Brendon have really nailed a template and a formula in how they want to go about their business, particularly when their backs are against the wall. And each and every player already has that clarity."

Uncapped batter Jordan Cox could make his debut in the opening Test between England and Sri Lanka, beginning on August 21 in Manchester.