• Ollie Pope, 25, has twice led England in warm-ups this winter.
• Ben Stokes was unable to play in the opening Test in Pakistan.
• He managed the squad for a match against the England Lions.

Ollie Pope said he is not considering leading England in the near, but that it “could be an option.”

Batter Pope, 25, has twice led England in warm-ups this winter and was set to take over as captain if Ben Stokes was unable to play in the opening Test in Pakistan.

“I try not to think about it. At number three, I need to score runs and be successful “Pope spoke to media.

“I’ll keep honing my cricket brain so that if the occasion arises, I’ll be as prepared as possible.”

Prior to England’s 3-0 series victory in Pakistan, Surrey’s Pope managed the squad for a match against the England Lions. Pope did the same in Hamilton for a two-day encounter against a New Zealand XI that acted as a warm-up for two Tests against New Zealand.

When illness struck the England camp before the first Test against Pakistan in December, Stokes was one of the players who was on standby to lead the team in Rawalpindi.

Stokes does not officially have a vice-captaincy position in England, and Pope claims that there is no “label” indicating that he is being more exposed to a leadership position.

“There is no vice-captain; there are several leaders in the changing room,” Pope explained.

“If Stokesy wants to bounce ideas off me during a game, I’m more than willing to use my knowledge.

“It [the captaincy] might be an option they are looking at in the future. It’s just nice to be regarded as a leader in that locker room.”

Pope, who has been in 33 Tests since making his 20-year-old debut in 2018, captained sides at the younger level, but he has only led Surrey to a high-scoring draw against Glamorgan in the County Championship at the end of the 2021 season.

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