Former England captain Alastair Cook has urged the selectors to retain Ollie Pope at No. 3 for the upcoming Ashes series, rather than taking what he described as a “big gamble” by picking Jacob Bethell.
England’s top seven has remained unchanged for more than a year, but Bethell’s rise in New Zealand last winter increased pressure on Pope’s position. While Pope began the 2025 summer strongly with centuries against Zimbabwe and India, his form dipped later, managing just one half-century in his next eight innings.
Bethell, who replaced the injured Ben Stokes at The Oval, struggled with scores of 6 and 5 in his only Test appearance of the summer but had earlier impressed with three consecutive fifties in his debut series last year. He will get another chance to prove himself in England’s upcoming white-ball series against New Zealand.
“I would bat Ollie Pope at No. 3,” Cook said at the launch of TNT Sports’ Ashes coverage. “He’s been part of this setup for years, he’s captained the side, and he’s scored some great innings for England. If you drop him now, it could unsettle everything they’ve built over the past year. I think keeping him there is the sensible choice.”
Cook, who was player of the series when England last won the Ashes in Australia 15 years ago, praised Bethell’s talent but warned against selecting him based only on white-ball performances. “They’ve invested so much in Pope and Crawley that it’d be strange to change things now,” he added.
The recent decision by head coach Brendon McCullum to replace Pope as vice-captain with Harry Brook has raised questions about Pope’s future, but Cook believes the move could actually help him. “It might take some pressure off Pope,” he said. “It will have hurt him, but I don’t think it undermines him.”
Cook also noted that Australia will be wary of England’s opening pair, Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, who can score quickly and change the momentum of a match. “Crawley isn’t the typical consistent opener, but on his day, he can destroy any attack,” Cook said. “If Duckett and Crawley get going early, England could gain massive momentum at the start of the series.”