Stokes backs Pope as England’s No. 3 batter for India series and hints at tweak to ‘Bazball’

By Canadian Press on June 19, 2025.

LEEDS, England (AP) — Who to pick at No. 3 out of Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell was widely regarded as England’s biggest selection poser heading into the highly anticipated, five-match test series against India.

Turns out, it wasn’t much of a headache for Ben Stokes.

“It would be remarkable to choose someone else if their last knock was 170,” the England captain said Thursday of the decision to keep faith with Pope after his big hundred in the one-off test against Zimbabwe last month.

The 21-year-old Bethell is the next big thing in English cricket, a rising star in all formats who made a strong start to his test career — in the No. 3 position — by scoring a half-century in each test of the three-match series against New Zealand over the winter.

However, Bethell didn’t play against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge because he was finishing off a stint in the Indian Premier League. Pope did play and, batting at No. 3, made 171 for his third biggest test knock.

Pope is the team’s vice captain and remains a trusted ally of Stokes, despite continued speculation over his place in the team.

“Having him at No. 3 and, since I’ve been captain over three years, averaging over 40. It speaks for itself, I think,” said Stokes, speaking on the eve of the first test at Headingley starting Friday.

“In this day and age, it’s very tough to not see all the speculation and stuff around it, just because of how easily accessible things are. You don’t even have to go hunt for it to see it these days. But I think scoring 170 in his last test match shows how well he’s handled the extra scrutiny. It comes with the territory when you are an international player.”

Under Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, whose nickname is “Baz,” England has played an entertaining, aggressive, attack-at-all-costs brand of cricket that earned the label “Bazball.”

It has helped turn around the fortunes of England’s test team, even if some see the approach as naive at times, especially when up against the world’s top sides.

Stokes hinted at a possible tweak in strategy in the series against India, which comes before England heads to Australia for the Ashes.

“India always bring excitement with them, wherever they go in the world,” Stokes said. “We still want to be known as a team that plays an exciting style of cricket. But now, not that we never wanted to win every game that we played, it’s about changing what we say, how we say it.

“We want to be playing an exciting game of cricket because we know that brings the best out of individuals, and us as a team. But it’s about winning.”

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

The Associated Press