Ben Stokes, the England Test captain, recently voiced his frustration with the criticism directed towards current skipper Ollie Pope, stating that such criticism reflects a broader issue in English sporting culture.

According to Stokes, England’s culture around sports tends to focus on finding a victim when things don’t go perfectly, and in this case, Pope has been facing extreme criticism for his recent form as a batsman.

Pope, who stepped in to lead England in Stokes’ absence due to injury, has had a challenging time with the bat during the series against Sri Lanka.

Despite leading England to a series win, his individual performance was not up to the mark. 

He highlighted that  despite Pope’s dip in form, particularly his low scores in the series, he managed to show strong leadership abilities.

Stokes pointed out that just before this series, Pope had been in excellent form, scoring a 100 and two 50’s against the West Indies.

Stokes’ comments dig deeper into what he observes as a problem in how English culture treats its athletes.

He noted that being in a leadership role exposes players to more criticism, often unfairly. Pope, as the captain, became an easy target. 

He also emphasized that people are quick to forget a player’s past achievements and jump on recent struggles.

This tendency to focus on recent failures rather than recognizing overall contributions is something Stokes believes is a flaw in the English sports community.

Despite the criticism, he defended the Pope’s tactical decisions and leadership. He praised Pope for maintaining England’s winning streak and highlighted that his contribution to the team’s recent success was significant.

He restated that Pope had managed the team well, encouraging him to put his own touch on the role, even while maintaining the broader vision Stokes had set.