This is Ollie Pope's chance of a lifetime to become Ben Stokes' natural successor - and here's a blueprint he MUST follow if he wants to thrive, writes NASSER HUSSAIN

When Ollie Pope walks out as England captain against Sri Lanka in Manchester on Wednesday, he will know he has a hard act to follow. And that's an understatement.

Ben Stokes is certainly important as a player – just look at how his absence affects the balance of the side. Because the selectors haven't brought in a replacement all-rounder, they now need to decide whether to go with the extra batter or bowler.

But, as a captain, he's been one of England's finest. I remember looking down on the team from the Lord's media centre during his first game as full-time leader, in 2022, and immediately thinking: this guy gets it.

I learned from various captains during my time: Keith Fletcher taught me a lot tactically, while Graham Gooch, Mike Atherton and Alec Stewart all showed how you could lead from the front. They inspired their team-mates, above all, with the runs they made.

But a gut feel for the game is almost innate, and Stokes clearly has that. It will be fascinating to watch Pope go about his business over the next few weeks, and to work out whether he's cut from a similar cloth.

Ollie Pope has the chance of a lifetime to install himself as Ben Stokes' long-term successor

Stokes, who got injured with the Northern Superchargers, has an innate gut feel for the game

Pope has to be himself and lead from the front without rocking the boat of the side too much

After the upcoming Sri Lanka series, England will have a better idea of their future beyond Stokes. What that future looks like depends on Pope's performance

The answer at the moment is that we simply don't know, but then we didn't really know about Stokes either before he took charge. The former coach Trevor Bayliss used to get laughed at when he said he would make a good captain, but he was proven spot on by subsequent events. Now it's Pope's chance to deal with any doubters – and there are always doubters.

England were never going to go with someone who wanted to change tack with 15 months to go before the Ashes. Pope is someone they have backed through some difficult times, and handing him the vice-captaincy was part of making him feel an integral part of the team. He's not going to rip up Bazball, or insist on bringing back players England have discarded.

And Stokes himself knows from personal experience that standing in temporarily as captain does not give you a blueprint for change. He took over for one Test against West Indies at Southampton in 2020 when Joe Root was on paternity leave, and was never going to rock the boat tactically or strategically.

But Pope will have three games in charge, and forward planning is important too. Yes, England want to use this summer to get some wins under their belt against West Indies and Sri Lanka after a tough result in India, but they have also spoken openly about getting a team together for the Ashes.

And what happens if Stokes, who has a history of injuries, goes down on the first morning at the Gabba, and the armband passes to a bloke with no leadership experience at all? That's why Pope should use these three games to find out what kind of a captain he is and wants to be. Think of it as an investment for the future.

He will need no encouragement to keep England on the aggressive path they've settled on. In fact, it's possible he may go a bit too far at times in a bid to show Brendon McCullum that's he up to the task. He'll learn from those moments too.

More important for me, though, will be the runs he makes at No 3, which will not only enable him to lead from the front, like Gooch, Atherton and Stewart, but to nail down a slot that he has not quite secured as yet.

There have been brilliant innings, not least the 196 he made at Hyderabad to help England win that first Test in India earlier this year. And he made a fine hundred against West Indies at Trent Bridge last month.

If Stokes gets injured at the Gabba, England will need someone with experience to step up

I do wonder if Pope might go too far to try and prove himself to coach Brendon McCullum

He cannot afford to be everyone's best mate because he needs to make ruthless decisions

One minute you have to have your arm round a debutant, the next you have to be brutal enough to tell a legend his career is over (Jimmy Anderson pictured)

But there's still a freneticism to his batting. He can look superb one innings, scratchy the next. His Test average after 46 games is 35, which is decent but leaves room for improvement. If he can score a hatful of runs against Sri Lanka, the captaincy will feel a lot easier.

He'll also have to bear in mind the change of emphasis when you move from the ranks to the leadership. When I did my Secrets of Success series about leadership for Sky, Jurgen Klopp told me that he tried to see himself a mate of the Liverpool players, but not their best mate. That sums up the captaincy: it is not a popularity contest, however tempting that may be.

Look at Stokes. You need to have the empathy to put your arm round Tom Hartley or Shoaib Bashir on their Test debuts in India, but the ruthlessness to tell Jimmy Anderson that is career is over. You can't have the second part if you're everyone's best mate.

Now, I've never heard anyone in the dressing-room say a bad word about Pope, which is great. But he'll find there are moments when he has to get the balance right: there may be a tough decision to make against Sri Lanka, and that – more than anything – will be when get an insight into his approach.

Empathy can come in different forms. When I took over, I was regarded by some as a bit anti-establishment. One member of the Essex committee said: 'Good luck with that.' It's safe to say there were some raised eyebrows.

But my position as almost a bit of an outsider, and a slightly anxious cricketer myself, helped me understand why, say, Andrew Caddick was nervous on the first morning of a Test, or Graham Thorpe would turn up to an official function wearing the wrong trousers, or Phil Tufnell was late for training.

Not everyone saw the game that way. I remember once asking Gooch how he coped with nerves, and he looked at me as if I had two heads. Fair enough: Goochy didn't get nervous, which was what helped make him such a great cricketer.

For me, the captaincy worked best if I didn't take a one-size-fits-all attitude, and Pope will have to work out how that applies to the team he is temporarily inheriting. In that respect, he could not have had a better mentor than Stokes.

Mail Sport columnist Nasser Hussain has offered Pope a blueprint for temporary captaincy

England take on Sri Lanka in three Test matches across late August and early September

Above all, Pope needs to win the series against Sri Lanka to really make a mark as captain

Assuming Stokes recovers before the trip to Pakistan, Pope has three games to make his case

I wish Pope all the best against Sri Lanka. He may do such a good job that the debate about who takes over once Stokes steps down comes to a swift conclusion. The succession planning may be taken care of.

But England will know there is no need to be rigid. They know that having the vice-captaincy now doesn't guarantee the captaincy in the future.

And for that reason I would say that Harry Brook is also someone to keep an eye on. From a small sample size in this year's Hundred, where he's been in charge of Northern Superchargers, I like what I've seen.

Stokes has joked about his lack of bookish intelligence, but it's clear he has a good cricket brain. He has a bit of mongrel about him, and I mean that in a good way. If he turns up at the toss and can't remember his side, that doesn't bother me: it means he's just focusing on the basic message that his team needs to play good cricket, and never mind the details.

I remember him walking past me on the tour of Pakistan two years ago after one of his hundreds, and saying very matter of factly: 'I just love batting.' He's a guy who doesn't complicate the game, and it will be interesting to see how he develops as a leader when he gets more responsibility.

For the moment, though, this is Ollie Pope's moment. Assuming Stokes recovers from his hamstring injury in time for the trip to Pakistan in October, Pope has three games to show he can be his natural replacement when the time comes for England to make a long-term decision.

The series will provide Pope with the chance of a lifetime, but he has to be himself during the games

He has to be himself, lead from the front with runs, and remember that difficult decisions may have to come before friendship. And he needs to keep the Bazball show on the road. Above all, he needs to show Sri Lanka the respect they deserve, and win the series. This is the chance of a lifetime.

By the end of it, England should have a better idea of what will happen if Stokes tweaks a hammy on the first morning of the Ashes at a packed Brisbane.

Click here to read article