Alastair Cook Urges England to Show Faith in Ollie Pope Ahead of Ashes

The challenge of the Ashes is approaching fast, and England is still unsure whether to include Ollie Pope in the top order. It is a question that has been lingering on without any possible answers. The recent form of Ollie Pope is not satisfactory at all, hence England is looking at different options to strengthen their top order batting lineup against Australia.

Many people have said that young Jacob Bethell should be promoted up the order to replace Pope. It is a call that cannot be taken in haste, because the youngster is still relatively new to international cricket. The England batting legend Alastair Cook has now joined this debate, saying that England should put faith in Ollie Pope instead of promoting Bethell at number 3.

"I would bat Ollie Pope at No. 3. I think it's quite an easy decision on this, actually. You've got someone who's been part of this build-up for three or four years, he's captained the side, he's played some extraordinary innings for England, and he's a hundred-maker,” said Alastair Cook.

He justified his stance by stating that dropping Pope from the Playing XI would undo years of planning and progress for England. It should be noted that England has been planning for the Ashes 2025 for quite some time. They have taken many bold decisions to build a strong squad for the upcoming series. Hence, changing one of their key batters just before the series could prove to be a tough ask.

"If you get rid of him now, I think that changes the whole dynamic of what they've built up over the last year, how settled they'll feel for that top seven. If it doesn't work out, do you then move back to somebody you just got rid of, confidence-wise? I think it's easy to go the other way, and I think that would be the sensible thing," said Alastair Cook.

The former England captain also praised the young Bethell, who is currently enjoying a stellar form in international cricket. He said the youngster is an “incredibly talented player”, but picking him just on the basis of white ball performances would be a great gamble before the Ashes.

"They've invested so much in people like Pope and Crawley that it'd be such a strange thing to change it now," said Alastair Cook.

Ollie Pope has recently been replaced by Harry Brook as the England test vice-captain. Alastair Cook believes that while the decision may not be ideal, it will help Pope focus more on his batting rather than worrying about the leadership role.

"I think that will just take the pressure off Ollie Pope. I'm sure it will have hurt him, because any time you get taken off a leadership [position], it wouldn't be ideal. But I don't think it undermines him," said Alastair Cook.

Speaking about the opening combination, Alastair Cook said that both Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley could give Australia a strong punch at their home turf. Keeping that in view, he expects Aussies to be more respectful towards both these players, who can make a huge impact in the game.

"Australia will be so respectful of Crawley and Duckett, and what they can do to impact the game. Crawley is a different opening batter to what history says you need: a guy who is very inconsistent and averages 30 but, on his day, plays an innings which I don't think anyone else in the world can play at the top of the order against bowling which suits him. He prefers the ball coming on at a good pace on good, true wickets - he is a real danger for Australia,” said Alastair Cook.

The Ashes Test series is slated to begin on November 21 and will run until the end of the year. It promises to be an exciting contest, as England’s ‘Bazball’ approach will face its ultimate test in Australia, where the home team usually dominates its opponents.