Follow UsEngland announced the Ashes 2025-26 squad recently, and there were a couple of major takeaways. One was the selection of Will Jacks, but the major talking point was Harry Brook being elevated as vice-captain at the cost of Ollie Pope.
Former England captain Michael Atherton believes that it is a clear indication that Pope may not hang on to his place. He has instead backed youngster Jacob Bethell to fill in for him at three.
“I thought that [the vice-captaincy change] was the most significant bit of news actually, given that the squad was kind of predictable with the exception of [Will] Jacks,” Atherton was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
“I thought, actually, that was the bit of news that interested me the most. One, because it may not be the case that Stokes plays all five games. He’s 34 years of age. Five Tests come quickly. The last three come very quickly. In recent times, although he looked in fantastic physical condition against India and bowled as well as he had for maybe six or seven years, he still got injured at the end of it and didn’t quite see that five-Test match series through.
"So he may not play all five, in which case it’s going to be Brook, not Pope [as captain]. But I felt there’s a bit more to it than that."
Following the squad announcement, director of cricket Rob Key had said there was no "ulterior motive" behind Pope being removed as the vice-captain of the side, but Atherton thinks otherwise.
“He [Key] suggested there is no ulterior motive as far as the Pope decision is concerned, in the sense that he’s the man in possession at No. 3 and the fact that he’s no longer vice-captain doesn’t mean automatically he’s going to be demoted for Jacob Bethell," Atherton reckoned.
“But I just have an instinct, a feeling in the waters, that they are going to play Bethell. That’s just a guess, really, just a kind of instinct you get. I think that decision is kind of rolled into that."
Weighing on the vice-captaincy debate, another former England captain, Nasser Hussain, feels that the entire episode would have dented Pope's confidence.
“The key line yesterday from Key was ‘we think Harry Brook is a better leader’. That’s quite a strong statement to make. Ollie Pope is a lad I think thrives on confidence. So that may have dented his confidence a bit. But if Stokes is injured now, Harry Brook captains. I wasn’t that fussed about the whole vice-captaincy thing,” Hussain said.
The Ashes will be played in Australia this time, with the first Test set to be played in Perth from November 21 onwards.