England were leading the series 2-1 after India drew the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Old Trafford, Manchester. But going into the decider at The Oval, a shoulder injury ruled Ben Stokes out of the game, and Ollie Pope replaced him as captain. But the latter couldn’t lead the side to a series victory. India, in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant, pulled off a thrilling 6-run win to end the series in a 2-2 draw and returned home with their heads held high.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan expressed his disappointment over Pope’s captaincy in the final Test.

Speaking on the Stick To Cricket podcast, Vaughan opined that Pope thrives as a vice-captain but lacks the leadership qualities required to lead the team in high-pressure situations. He proposed Harry Brook as a better alternative should Stokes be unavailable for the upcoming Ashes series, set to begin in three months.

“We don’t laud how good some vice-captains are. (Marcus) Trescothick was the best vice-captain. I think Ollie Pope is a brilliant vice-captain. But he’s not a captain. And by giving him the captaincy, I can see it a mile off.

He’s not a natural leader out in the middle," Vaughan said.

Vaughan further stated that if Stokes misses out on a Test match during the Ashes series in Australia due to a certain reason, then it won’t be a good idea to let Pope lead the side. Instead, he proposed the name of Harry Brook.

“I saw that last year against Sri Lanka. I have seen it again this week. Say you get to Perth and Ben Stokes, the shoulder or you know, his body’s in bits. Anything could happen with Ben. Fingers crossed he’s fine, but just say you go to Perth and Ben can’t play.

I can’t have Ollie Pope walk in as skipper. But I can have Harry Brook because I see a natural leader," he added.

Brook scored 481 runs at an average of 53.44 across the five-Test series against India, including a fluent 111 at The Oval on the final day. He was subjugated as England’s Player of the Series by Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir.

 

Brook scored 481 runs at an average of 53.44 across the five-Test series against India, including a fluent 111 at The Oval on the final day. He was subjugated as England’s Player of the Series by Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir.