Ben Stokes has strongly criticised the speculation surrounding Ollie Pope’s place in the England team, accusing parts of the media of pushing a “twisted agenda” against the batter. The England captain’s comments came amid rumours about Jacob Bethell potentially reclaiming a spot in the side for the upcoming series against India after his performances in the IPL.
Ahead of England’s dominant victory, where Pope, Zak Crawley, and Ben Duckett all scored centuries, Stokes was asked about Bethell’s prospects. He initially acknowledged Bethell’s strong form, saying the young player had “done himself the world of good” during the recent tour of New Zealand and implied that Bethell could return to the starting XI. However, after the commanding win by an innings and 45 runs, Stokes clarified his position, stressing that Bethell’s inclusion in the squad did not necessarily mean displacing Pope from the team.
Stokes emphasised that his earlier remarks had been taken out of context and twisted to fit a narrative that did not reflect the reality within the team. “That was written to suit an agenda that was being said away from what is in the team,” Stokes said. He made it clear that Pope was highly valued both as a player and a leader, describing him as the vice-captain who played a crucial role on and off the field.
“Popey knows how much I value him, not only as a player but also as a leader, as a vice-captain. He’s someone who I lean on a lot out there,” Stokes explained. He highlighted Pope’s importance especially when he is bowling, noting that Pope helps spot things that might be missed when Stokes is focused on his own bowling. The captain dismissed any suggestion that Pope’s position was under threat as a significant misinterpretation.
In addition to his comments on team selection, Stokes praised Shoaib Bashir, who delivered a career-best performance with six wickets for 81 runs, finishing the match with nine wickets overall. Stokes admired Bashir’s natural talent, particularly his height, ability to generate pace, and skill in switching seam positions. “The skill is undoubted,” Stokes said of the 21-year-old bowler, adding that Bashir’s progress now depends on his ability to maintain composure and focus on taking wickets rather than getting overly excited.
Stokes described Bashir’s career start as “scary” in terms of how impressive it has been, expressing excitement about his potential for growth. “It’s super, super exciting. I can say it’s impossible for him not to get even better than what he is now,” he added.
Despite England’s eventual dominance, the match was initially more challenging. Zimbabwe’s Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza both scored half-centuries, while Ben Curran contributed a gritty 37 runs off 104 balls. All three were among Bashir’s victims. Zimbabwe’s captain Craig Ervine reflected on the first day, admitting that their bowling was not up to the mark.
“We weren’t really up to par,” Ervine said. He noted that their fast bowlers didn’t consistently hit the right areas, which, especially in those conditions, allowed England to build a strong foundation. “When you can do that, especially in these conditions, you ask a lot of questions and unfortunately we didn’t do that,” Ervine added.
From a batting perspective, Ervine praised his team for fighting hard and getting into decent positions, but they failed to capitalise fully. “What you want as a player group is to be able to go back home from this having learned something that you can take with you, that can improve you as a player,” he said. Ervine highlighted that the experience gained on this tour would add to their knowledge and help them grow as cricketers.
Overall, England’s comprehensive win underlined their strong squad depth and leadership, with Stokes firmly backing his key players and calling out misleading narratives in the media.
