"I think he will let me do my own thing" - Ollie Pope expects Ben Stokes' backing as he prepares to lead England for the first time

England's stand-in captain Ollie Pope expects Ben Stokes to 'let himself do his own thing' as he prepares to lead the national team for the first time. The right-handed batter also revealed having picked his brains from the all-rounder, but doesn't want to overcomplicate it.

Stokes injured his hamstring during The Hundred 2024 fixture between Northern Superchargers and Manchester Originals, ruling him out of the remaining fixtures of the summer. While Pope will step in as captain for the time, the 33-year-old is raring to be fit for the three-Test tour of Pakistan.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the first Test against Sri Lanka, Pope said he knows he can lean on Stokes if need be in case anything needs changing. As quoted by Sky Sports, he stated:

"I am sat next to [Stokes] in the changing room and it will be great to have him around. If I want to lean on him I can, but I think he will let me do my own thing. He has said he is happy to do that. He will be watching and chat with Baz [Test coach Brendon McCullum] so I can have those conversations in the intervals if I think something needs to change."

The Surrey batter also underlined that he trusts his ability to read the game well and that his tactics will be refined as the series progresses. He said:

"I know how well he has managed our bowlers especially, so I have picked his brains on it, but it will be a lot of the same messages with a different voice and in my own way. It's about not overcomplicating it for me. I think I read the game fairly well and Stokesy and I have often been of the same mindset. As the series goes on, it will let itself out for me. It is still Stokesy's team. Everyone is pretty clear how they want to go about this week and the series in general."

England announced their playing XI on Monday, making two changes from the side that beat the West Indies in the third Test of the series. Dan Lawrence will replace Zak Crawley as the opener, while Matthew Motts will play as an extra seamer.

"We don't underestimate any of the teams that come over here" - Ollie Pope

The 26-year-old understands that Sri Lanka have some experienced players, requiring England to be at their absolute best. On this, Pope added:

"We don't underestimate any of the teams that come over here. Our target is to win 3-0 but we realise Sri Lanka have got some good experienced guys who have played a lot of Test matches. The main focus is on ourselves. We will just play our best cricket and try and put on a good performance. Hopefully the scoreboard at the end reflects that."

England are coming off a 3-0 series victory over the West Indies.