Ollie Pope has asked Joe Root for guidance on how best to balance the demands of batting and captaincy after an awkward first outing as stand-in England skipper against Sri Lanka. 

Pope, in the first of three matches deputising for the injured Ben Stokes, led England to a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka at Old Trafford last week as they went 1-0 up. Nevertheless, No. 3 batsman Pope was himself twice out for six. While Stokes may be absent, the England team still features star batsman Root, who led England in a record 64 Tests from 2017-2022.