"Ollie Pope is in danger of becoming Joe Root's polar opposite": Ian Chappell

Pope, who is the stand-in captain for England in the three-match series against Sri Lanka in the absence of regular skipper Ben Stokes, is under scrutiny for his poor batting show in the series. He has scored just 191 runs in six innings at an average of 31.83. But the bulk of his runs have come in the third Test at his home ground at The Oval, where he scored 154 in the first innings.

Despite his talent, composure to play big knocks and classy strokeplay, Pope has often been inconsistent. In 49 Tests, he has scored 2,881 runs at an average of 35.13, with seven tons and 13 fifties in 87 innings. His best score is 205. This year, he has scored 745 runs in 11 Tests and 20 innings at an average of 37.25, with three centuries and two fifties and a best score of 196.

Batting at number three though, has done wonders for Pope statistically as he has managed to play some really fantastic, marathon-like knocks for Three Lions, scoring 1,798 runs in 25 matches and 43 innings at an average of 42.80, with six centuries and seven fifties in 43 innings and best score of 205.

Writing in a column for ESPNCricinfo, Chappell pointed out that even though Pope played a meaningful innings against a moderate Lankan attack, he still needs to do better. Especially with the Ashes series in Australia in 2025-26 coming forward. In three matches in Australia, Pope has scored just 67 runs in six innings at a poor average of 11.16, with best score of 35.

"Despite playing a meaningful innings against a moderate Sri Lankan attack, Ollie Pope needs more convincing knocks away from his home ground to prove he's a substantial No. 3 batter. Otherwise, Pope is in danger of becoming the polar opposite of Joe Root - a capable captain with a feel for the job but an inconsistent batter," said Chappell.

"Batting in the middle order, Pope had a poor last tour of Australia and should be considered a potential weakness. It is not just his renowned skittishness that should interest the Australian pace bowlers, there are also some technical flaws that can be exploited," he added.

Chappell said that if Australia cause any concerns for Pope and England are forced to remove him, the number three spot will become a "revolving door".

"Currently, the English squad is limited in players who are qualified to do a sound job at number three. Without Pope, England would also be missing a suitable replacement captain if Ben Stokes suffers an injury. That would be a crucial double blow to England," Chappell concluded.

Coming to the third match, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to field first. England was bowled out for 325 runs in the first innings, with contributions from Ollie Pope (154 in 156 balls, with 19 fours and two sixes) and Ben Duckett (86 in 79 balls, with nine fours and two sixes) taking England to a solid score.

Milan Rathnayake (3/56) was a top bowler for SL. Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara and Dhananjaya de Silva got two wickets each.

In the first innings, Lankan Lions lost wickets at regular intervals, but half-centuries from Dhananjaya de Silva, the skipper (69 in 111 balls, with 11 fours), Pathum Nissanka (64 in 51 balls, with nine fours) and Kamindu Mendis (64 in 91 balls, with seven fours) took SL to 263, trailing by 62 runs.

Olly Stone (3/35) and Josh Hull (3/53) were the top bowlers for England.

In the second innings of England, Lankan bowlers asserted their dominance. Other than a counter-attack by Jamie Smith (67 in 50 balls, with 10 fours and a six), nothing really stood out. England was bowled out for 156 runs, and England set 219 runs to win for Sri Lanka. (ANI)