Alastair Cook said Ollie Pope should bat at No. 3 in the Ashes, calling it a straightforward choice given Pope’s experience and key role in England’s setup.
Former England captain Alastair Cook believes Ollie Pope should continue to bat at No. 3 in the upcoming Ashes series in Australia. Despite managing only 306 runs in nine innings during the recent series against India, Cook feels Pope’s experience and leadership qualities make him the right choice for the role.
The veteran opener said that keeping Pope in the top order would maintain England’s batting balance and stability built over the past few years. He added that dropping or reshuffling the 26-year-old could disrupt the team’s rhythm and affect confidence within the group.
“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,” Cook said at the launch of TNT Sports’ Ashes coverage.
“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,” he added.
Meanwhile, England will enter the 2025-26 Ashes after a hard-fought draw in their home series against India. The team aims to end a 15-year drought in Australia, having last won a red-ball series there in 2010-11. The five-match series begins on November 21 in Perth, marking the start of another classic Ashes series.
Last Updated on October 15, 2025
Senior Sports Copywriter
